Secret Affair
by KittyNakajimaX
Summary: Amy Rose and Sonic embark upon a secretive, sensual relationship with complications that neither of them are truly or completely ready for. For matureminded audiences only.
1. The Decision to Leave

**_Author's Note:_** _The idea/concept for this story was based on an idea that a friend of mine, Kawaii Sonikku had as an interesting idea for an adult orientated story based on the interactions between Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy rose from the Sonic games. So please, don't give me credit for the idea itself, but rather her, because without her idea, I would most likely not be writing this. I only want to be known for building upon it and bringing her idea to life. If anything, this is both a joint effort by Kawaii Sonikku herself, and my own self, Kitty Nakajima._

_Also, I would like to say that reading Harley Quinn Hyenaholic's 'A Rose and A Thorn' has also inspired me to try my hand at adult orientated Sonic fiction. I believe that the aforementioned story that she is writing is one of her best Sonic related works to date due to the vivid descriptions of the characters, their actions, and the relationships with one another. Thank you for once more for some much needed inspiration._

_And now, a more important note: Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, Tails 'Miles' Prower, Cream the Rabbit, Cheese the Chao, Vanilla the Rabbit, and any other related Sonic Team characters are all the copyright of Sega Enterprises/Sonic Team. At least 4 of these characters will be placed in sexually explicit/orientated situations, and if you are under the age of 17, it is highly recommended that you leave now, as I (nor the hosting websites) shall not be held responsible for any consequences caused due to partial or complete reading of this story._

_**Secret Affair**_

_(Amy's POV)_

_Well, here we are again, in my bedroom, 'making love' as it were. He's on top of me, inside of me, heaving heavily as he's thrusting himself in and out at a steady pace._

_I can see that he's pretty much enjoying himself as his emerald eyes flicker open, then close with each solid thrust he delivers into me. Part of me is happy to see that I'm making him happy. _

_At least **he's** happy…_

_Yet the part of me that is thinking this right now isn't so happy, as I can't enjoy it with what I know…_

It all started 6 months ago as I was walking home from the grocery store in my part of Station Square. I was carrying my groceries, wishfully hoping…dreaming about the moment that my cerulean hero would soon be mine when I passed by the Station Square Electronics Boutique. All the televisions were running an urgent news report, and I drop my bags when I realize who they were talking about.

My Sonic.

"_Special Report Just In: Sonic the Hedgehog unable to save innocent civilian in his fight against the diabolical Dr. Eggman. At about 12:15 p.m. Standard Time, the accomplished hero was engaged in battle with Dr. Eggman and one of his latest technologic creations, The Egg Tank as it was rampaging through South Island. Sonic had managed to alert emergency forces to evacuate the immediate area, but many still remained and were fleeing the site (a regularly flourishing business street) as the two battled on. One of which was a child and his mother, who apparently lost sight of one another amidst all the chaos and confusion caused by the raging battle between the two. _

_Sadly, the child was run over by the tank before either his mother or our blue hero could reach him. We bring you an eyewitness account from one person who happened to witness it as they were fleeing the scene:_

_"It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. All you could hear was that poor lady screaming for her child the whole time, which threw off Sonic's concentration from the Egg Tank. It only took a few seconds for the missing kid to come into his point of view, which just so happened to be directly behind the Egg Tank. _

_Next thing you know, the Egg Tank is backing up, and the kid couldn't have been more than 5 feet directly behind the thing as Sonic tried to slide under it to reach him. A bomb was shot out by the blast tank, dazing Sonic's reaction, in which the next instant was heard a scream the likes of which you never, EVER want to hear under any circumstances._

_Kid was crushed to death, and his mother is running over in tears, wailing her child's name while cursing Sonic within the same breath. _

_The last thing I remember is him trying to say some comforting words to her, but all he got for his trouble was a slap to the face and angry townspeople yelling at him, which I don't think was right._

_Even heroes mess up occasionally..."_

_And that's our special report for right now. Tune into the Station Square Evening News for further developments on the story…_

My body wanders out of the intial shock of the news report when I hear a group of screaming people booing and jeering at someone nearby. I quickly gather up my groceries to wander over to the Station Square Municipal Court to find what the crowd there gathered to see.

Once again, My Sonic.

He stood there solemn and serious, something of which I have never seen him be. Even in the midst of a dire and serious situation, he'd crack the biggest smile you'd ever want to see and laugh and joke like there was no tomorrow.

But I could tell that wasn't going to happen this time.

Next to him stood the mayor of Station Square, as well as the commissioners of both Station Square and South Island's Emergency Squad. There was also the president of South Island, who was standing behind a podium. He motioned for the crowds to quiet themselves down before he stated this:

"_People of the world, I, president of South Island have met and conversed with both Sonic the Hedgehog himself, as well as the law enforcements of South Island and Station Square to decide on whether any legal ramifications should be taken towards events that occurred on South Island, resulting in the untimely death of an innocent civilian._

_We have both congregated amongst ourselves, and along with Mr. Hedgehog himself, and have come to the conclusion that the death was indeed an accident. According to several eyewitness reports, the civilian was quite close behind the vehicle which Dr. Eggman was operating, so even with his extraordinary speed, Mr. Hedgehog would have been barely able to reach the civilian and pull the both himself and the civilian out of harm's way._

_It was also established that the Doctor had dropped a very powerful explosive in Mr. Sonic's way, deterring his reaction time to the point where it was simply too late for even him to have been able to save the civilian._

_So with these facts in mind, we admonish Mr. Hedgehog as a factor in the cause of death and any other wrongdoings associated with this tragic event. We also would like to establish Dr. Eggman as the sole party responsible in the cause of death, as it was his vehicle that caused the death, and he was both consciously and willingly operating said vehicle at the time of death. _

_I will now give the floor to Mr. Hedgehog, as he feels he needs to say something given the circumstances. Thank you."_

And with that, Sonic takes the stage:

"_I don't have much to say in my defense other than it was purely an unwanted accident. When I'm out there facing danger, I do my best to make sure that it's only myself out there. If I see anyone else out there, I do my best to help them first before I go back to the mist of the chaos…but this was one of those times where I was unable to, no matter how much I wanted to or tried._

_And for that, I'm truly sorry becau.._

"_**MURDERER!", **came a voice from the crowd. That one word was enough to make Sonic tremble in his shoes as I took notice of it. Soon, more people were shouting other things besides 'murderer', moving closer and almost encompassing Sonic to the point where he wouldn't be able to speed away without hurting someone._

I pushed my way through the crowd, many of whom looked as if they were going to lynch him on the spot. I didn't care what any of them though of him for that one action…that one mistake. He was still a hero in my eyes….

"_Sonic!", I finally manage to yell at him. I struggle to rearrange my groceries into one arm as I use the other to wave frantically to him. His eyes finally see me, because he stated next "AMY! You shouldn't be here!", in a condescending tone of voice._

_But, his actions prove otherwise as he jumps down from the steps of the courthouse and suddenly scoops me up into his strong arms, speeding away from the crowd of nonbelievers. _

We eventually arrive in front of the door to my Station Square apartment, at which he puts me down. I thank him for taking me away from that crazy crowd and half expectedly knew that he would speed away to his own business elsewhere.

But when I opened the door to look back, he was still there, and doing something that I had never seen him do in all time that I had known him.

_My Sonic was crying._

I quickly drop the groceries beside the door and usher for him to come inside and stay awhile for dinner. He slowly nods his agreement as he steps inside, trying to wipe away the tears that had already fallen from his face. But he soon gives up and allows them to fall freely as I offer him my handkerchief and say, "_It's alright. I understand."_

I tell him he can stay awhile and relax while I get started on dinner. He blows his nose as he goes to sit down on the loveseat in my living room. To think, my Sonic was actually sitting in my living room…though somewhat listless as I could tell.

But he was there nonetheless, and I wanted to strive to make him feel at home and welcome…

..But most of all, wanted and loved…

If this had been like it was in my dreams, I would have had the meal of a lifetime ready for him in an instant. But as this was so unexpected, I just reluctantly placed two TV dinners inside of the microwave as I wanted to not waste any time in making him feel better. I also filled up my kettle and placed it on the stove so that I could make a cup of tea for the both of us. The moment that's all done, I place the drinks and food on a tray and make my way to the living room to take a seat right next to him. Tears are still coming from his eyes, but he's also trying to put on one of his trademark smiles, as if to make me (and not himself) feel better.

I hand him one of the chicken TV dinners and a cup of tea before I actually say something to break the long moment of silence afterwards. Something foolish to the effect of, _"I don't know how you liked your tea, but I definitely know sugar and honey is soothing at a time like this…"_

I watch as he takes a small sip of the honey flavored tea before finally gulping the entire cup, and gesturing the empty cup out for a refill. He also must have finished his TV dinner, because it was there one moment and gone the next, with the exception of a few bones scattered on the plastic tray.

_At least I know that his appetite hadn't been affected by the goings on that day…_

I offer him my own slightly nibbled dinner and watch as he earnestly polishes off that as I bring over the kettle and more tea bags with honey and sugar to refill our cups. I finally take a sip of my own tea, taking a momentary pause to say things that I felt in my heart and should be said to him in his time of need.

"_It's not your fault, Sonikku."_

_He shakes his head. _I can tell that he holds himself 100 responsible. _"Amy", he states solemnly. "It is. If I had just been a little bit faster..quicker…he still might be alive…"_

"_Sonic", I start up. "Please don't blame yourself. If you continue to blame yourself, you won't be able to help others like you've done so many times before. People need you…" I gently place a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He shivers a little, but soon relaxes a bit as he continues:_

"_I don't blame people for hating me for what happened. Even though a bunch of politicians said it wasn't my fault, I know it is. I'm supposed to be a hero to everyone…and responsible for anyone in the way of danger."_

"_Sonikku…", I murmur, in an attempt to correct him. He's absolutely wrong about that – I for one don't care if he's the reason I often find myself in trouble. He's the one who's always bailing me out of messes like that..._

_But he still continues: "It's to the point where I almost don't want to go and risk it out there anymore…knowing that someone could get hurt or be killed like that kid because of me…knowing that I could lose Tails and our other friends because of my recklessness..knowing that I could even lose you as a result of it…"_

"_It's just too much…"_

_By this point, I'm on the verge of tears…he's actually afraid of losing me because of what he does? That makes me both happy and sad at the same time; not once would I wish for him to give up what he does, knowing full well that it's what makes him Sonic. I could never ask him to give up what he loves to do; even if I was uncomfortable with it...he wouldn't be the Sonikku I love..._

I couldn't hold back my emotions from that point. My soft and gentle grip of his right shoulder had become a full blown embrace as tears started to stream from my own face. I could no longer contain the emotions associated with knowing how I felt about him and how he felt over losing me or any of the others…

…_and I wanted to show him that no matter what, he would always have me to come to as a friend…lover…whatever he desired for as long as the both of us lived…_

You can pretty much say that's when our 'relationship' went from one sided affection on my side to a more sensual and erotic level for the both of us, because the next thing I knew, he was returning my comforting embrace and adding a grateful kiss upon my forehead...

…_well, actually a lot of grateful kisses, down from my forehead, and finally to my lips…_

And it becomes a blur; it all started with one grateful kiss on my forehead…

…_to playful fondling and foreplay…_

…_and finally, the both of us losing our virginity to one another._

It was a weird feeling; Rouge had told me several times how my first time would hurt like no tomorrow – how it would hurt and get better immediately after. How I would probably go on and on and enjoy it the times after the initial breaking had been done.

She was wrong – _it hurt like a bitch._ It's not some barrier breaking inside of you; more like your vagina was set on fire by the object penetrating it. And the soreness lasted for days afterward to the effect of making me vow that only Sonic, and him alone could see and take me in that light...

I'd also go so far as to give her the fact that it did feel good, even though I didn't orgasm. Women don't have 'orgasms' like men do, and she also told me it takes a lot of experience in the area to find out what personally would help you achieve it. But it feels good all the same; I still gush over how the first moments of ecstasy crashed over my body as we both began to adjust to being connected with one another…

It didn't take too long for him to reach his limit and climax inside of me, embracing one another tightly before finally drifting to sleep in each other's arms…

_I can also remember the conversation we had the morning after:_

"_Oh my gosh...Amy..." he started. He clearly was feeling guilty over what we did last night. Which hurt, since it was something I had always wanted to do with him..._

_I place a hand on one of his cheeks and kiss his lips softly. "Sonikku…don't worry. Don't feel sorry…", I whispered. "I wanted to make you feel better last night…"_

"_I also wanted to show you how much I cared as well..."_

_He softly nuzzled my hand and continued: "But don't you think it was a mistake for us to get into bed like this? I mean…"_

"_I don't feel like it was a mistake. And I don't think you do either, right? Otherwise, we would have stopped at any point..."_

_I know he felt the same way I felt, because he said jokingly: "Well then, I'd say it's my favorite mistake", before rolling me over on my back and kissing me deeply…_

And that's how it all started. I wanted to go public with it, but Sonic insisted on keeping it under wraps. Can't blame him after how strongly he feels about losing me or someone else because of his actions…

_But now, It would seem as if I would have to lose him. The things that I know and feel now since we've embarked on this secret are not making it so that I have more secrets of my own…_

_Like what I recently found out 2 weeks ago…_

_It's flu season down here in Station Square, so I never gave much thought to the occasional headaches or fatigue that I had been feeling of late. Just brushed it off as the flu trying to fight its way through my immune system, and upped my dosage on Vitamin C in the ways of more orange juice in the morning. Had some temporary relief, but not by much..._

_Then there came the nausea. And always at the same time each day. Sonic would be sound asleep in my bed and not notice as I would jump with a start after the alarm rang at 5 a.m. to run and quietly place my face in front of the toilet seat for the impending vomiting fit…_

_It also was a bit strange that I had somewhat of a more than healthy appetite after such episodes of nausea…_

_It only seemed to get worse from there, and Sonic insisted that I go to the doctor for a flu shot. But once there, once they heard the type of symptoms I'd been having, they insisted upon something else…_

"We'll need you to produce a sample of urine for us.", they'd tell me. Something about urine being able to determine whatever it was that was making me 'sick'.

Well, didn't turn out that I had influenza, or whatever type of sickness that people usually have during the winter months.

_I'm pregnant._

I don't know what to do or what to say to him. And I doubt that being told that he's going to become a father will make him love me any more or any better than he already does now…that is, **_if_** he loves me…

I remember Rouge telling me something about how even the sweetest guy can become an absolute sex addict if it's

a)readily available

b)given to them without the slightest protest from their partner

I've managed to do both for him; there have been times where we've just hung out together at my place and not done anything. And I wish there were more times like that. But it's been more and more about sex lately than actually spending time to enjoy each's other's company.

There have even been things that I've been unsure about doing and have done because he wanted me to at least try it. Like when I gave him…head…or rather, fellatio being the proper term as Rouge puts it.

Plus, if it really is about sex, I doubt he'd want to step up to the plate and take responsibility. Hell, he'd probably go and blame me for the whole thing happening in fact. In the midst of it all, we never really thought twice about using protection to prevent something like this from happening…

And that's just the worst case scenario. He might actually be thrilled and be ecstatic that we're expecting. But then, that goes back to his fear of losing people – I'd hate to see him feeling guilty because our child was put in harm's way by what he does…

Or the fact that we're having sex when one of us knows that I'm pregnant. I don't know if having sex will hurt the baby…or even if the baby is aware and can actually _see_ what we're doing…

But whatever the reasons, it's all the same resolution:

_I have to break it off with him…_

"Sonic?" Amy said after a long silence. Sonic's thrusting suddenly came to an abrupt halt as the azure hedgehog looked into the emerald eyes of his sakura partner. "Yes Ames?", he asked curiously.

"I don't know how to tell you this...", she started slowly, "but I've been thinking and I think that you were originally right about this being a mistake to be like this…" At that, Sonic simply raised an eyebrow as if to ask, "What are you talking about?"

She continued: "I don't think it'd be best if we slept together or spoke to each other for awhile…I need some time to sort out my feelings about this…"

She could tell that her statement had gotten to him, because he was out of her the next moment, and out the door the next. She slowly withered up into a fetal position and began to cry, slowly wrapping herself in the blankets on her bed that were still warm from their lovemaking.

_I'm scared…_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. Stay tuned for the next chapter that will be told in Sonic's point of view regarding Amy breaking it off with him. Hope you enjoyed it thus far. :D_


	2. Secret Passion Revisited

_**Author's Note:** Both Kawaii Sonikku and myself are quite pleased to see that the first chapter of this story has received a warm reception. And while this story will focus a lot on the situations already established in the first chapter, it will have the bits and pieces that make a lemon a lemon, which is quite evident in this chapter._

_Please continue to review and let us know about any thoughts and concerns you have with the developments in the story._

_Also, a slight note: The characters are at least 7 years older than their videogame counterparts:_

_Amy – 19_

_Sonic -22_

_Knuckles – 23_

_Rouge-25_

_Cream-13_

_Tails- 15_

_Shadow- ?_

_Amy Rose, Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, Cream the Rabbit, Cheese the Chao, Vanilla the Rabbit, Shadow the Hedgehog, and any other characters from the games are copyright of Sega Enterprises/Sonic Team. _

_Once again, I'd like to note that if you are under the age of 17 and are reading this story, you should exit now. The server(s) this story is hosted on, nor myself shall be held accountable for the partial or complete reading of this story._

_(Sonic's POV)_

_Damnit. Why isn't she picking up?_

I continue to re-dial Amy's home phone number. And continue to get nothing. Nothing but the sound of the dial tone and her answering machine message coming on.

I swear…I've heard her machine message so many times in the past week that I have it memorized to a fault:

_A soft and sweet giggle can be heard as the machine goes on. "Hi! You have reached the loft of Amy Rose. I'm sorry I can't be here to talk to you right now, but if you leave a message, I'll get back to you soon...especially if you're my Sonikku!"_

I give up and end the call on my mobile phone. She always insisted on me having one of these things so she could keep tabs on me, since my job prevents me from having a sit down conversation with anyone for more than 5 minutes. Have a damn good mind to throw the blasted contraption in the trash – I've heard those things can give you cancer, and at my age, I'm not looking to slow down for stuff like that any time soon.

But I reluctantly place it back in the pocket of my jacket as I sit down for a moment to think. Amy wouldn't just ignore my calls like this unless she was out or in trouble. And I opt for the latter; something has to be wrong.

_Seriously wrong._

But I quickly dismiss the thought. If she were in the _usual_ type of trouble, she would have been held captive by Eggman as a means to lure me out. He knows I have a sense of responsibility to protect people whenever they're in danger, so it works out for him…

Doesn't work out for me in the sense that keeping her in particular draws a more personal sense of the responsibility to me…

I've _known Amy for ages – in fact, she's the first true friend I made, even meeting her before my good buddy Tails. She helped me out in that first scrap I had with Metal Sonic, some cheap robotic knockoff Eggman had made to try and defeat me. She also knew a lot about these things known as the Time Stones, something that the doctor was trying to acquire so he could make the world his own little playground._

_She was a great help overall. But because of me, she ended up in the middle of the fight when that metal trash can captured and held her hostage for a final showdown. Thankfully, I won and saved her..._

_..And she's been after me ever since._

_At first, I thought her constant devotion to me was unbearable. Hell, intolerable, to the point where I was always running away the moment she looked in my direction. I never really was too interested in that type of attention; I'm usually too busy fighting or speeding around to take real notice of the opposite sex. _

_If anything, I usually only noticed the real crazy fanatics who are looking for my attention...the type who are obsessed about someone in the spotlight. But who also wouldn't give a damn if I was just an average someone…_

_I've had girls practically beg me to get into bed with them because of who I am and what I do. Even had a few of them try to follow me home and show me just how 'grateful' they truly are. Generally a lot of them are wild girls, but I'm just not interested in that type of thing. Sort of a put off to know that they've had x amount of male genitalia in them **before**_ _they decided on me…_

_Amy had always been a bit headstrong in her pursuit of me, but never to the point of it becoming stalker-esque. She definitely had respect for my privacy and space, and knowing that made it a lot easier to have more tolerance for her with the many other adventures we had taken over the years…_

_I'll even go on to say that she's grown out of it; when we meet up on the street nowadays, she'll give me a little hug and ask me how I'm doing, or even invite me back to her place for a good meal. Maybe even vocalize her feelings for me, but not as strongly as she had before. A 'I love you!' might now go for as 'I hope to see you again soon'._

_She's become so easy to be around in the past few years that it's a shock that I can still be talking about her in the same nagging light with the others. _

"_She's annoying", I might state to Tails._

"_She's a pain", I might happen to mention to Knuckles._

"_If you think she's sweet, you can have her", I yell to Shadow._

_And here I am now, at home, not having anything else on my mind at the moment except to call her up._

_Pathetic, yes?_

_Maybe. But I'm also a bit concerned as well. If something is wrong, Amy never hesitates to let you know. Not once. I even have the bruises inflicted by her infamous Piko Piko Hammer to prove it. She'll always let you know if she's happy or sad, or just downright mad._

_And if that's the case, she should have been able to tell me what is bugging her right now. I'm pretty sure that whatever it is, I can handle it…_

My ringtone sounds off as my phone receives an incoming call.

_It's her._

I quickly flick the phone open and ramble about what's going on with her. On her end, all I hear is silence.

Then this, which sent a chill down my spine:

_She's crying on the other end._

I abruptly stop talking about whatever it was I had been thinking about and start asking whether she was alright, and apologize if I had upset her.

_More crying and a little hiccup can be heard from her. Sound like she'd been crying for a good while before she called me back…_

I continue to apologize, and even put in that whatever she's going through right now should be alright because I'll be there for her.

And that just set her off. She started lamenting about how she didn't want me to be around or save her for a good 3 minutes before going back to crying once more, and ending the conversation with somewhat of an apology/explanation:

_I'm...so so sorry, Sonikku. I just...need to be alone for a bit right now. I just need some time to think about some things…like us…by myself before I talk to you again. _

_I just…I dunno. I'll let you know about it with time. _

_I just have to go now. Take care of yourself, okay?_

_Click._ She hung up on me. I place the phone back in its holder and into my pocket once more as I try to piece together what she had said.

She needs time alone? Thinking about us

**_What the hell is going on? _**

I'm quite confused about what could possibly be so upsetting to her that she couldn't tell me. I mean, we've been telling each other everything for the past couple of months now. We've gotten so close…

_My mind begins to wander back to that fateful event about 6 months ago. Was having it out with Eggman on a busy street in South Island when his tank backed up and killed a little kid. I did what I could to get to him, but it just wasn't enough. Still blame myself for it at times, even though Amy has made me realize that regretting it will make it difficult to get my job done. _

_Still remember how our other friends were when they heard about what happened. Tails was trying to say something comforting, but he just couldn't find the right words. He also was a bit busy tinkering away on the Tornado 2…_

_Vanilla and Cream tried to convince me that it was Eggman's fault for the whole thing, but it only just succeeded in making me blame myself more. I'm just as much to blame for the death as he is._

_Knuckles and Rouge? Let's just say those two both like to bring it up as a fault of mine whenever I don't see eye to eye with either of them. It irritates me whenever they state nonchalantly "at least I never got a kid killed', to my face before going about their business. They'll probably never let me here the end of that._

_Shadow is probably the only one besides Amy who truly cut me some slack concerning the matter. Seeing as how he lost Maria in a similar situation, he's more empathetic concerning the whole thing. Even told me that I had to try and find peace within myself to move on. And it's true – before he obtained piece of mind, he was hell bent on destruction and inflicting misery on himself and those around him…_

_As for the rest of the world? They were pretty much blaming me and hanging all responsibility over my head - completely ignored the fact that I tried to go and get the kid when there was still a chance. Any prior actions in which I had saved others or the world were dismissed in their minds, as I was now a murderer for the one life I couldn't save…_

_It was definitely a wake-up call; I'm not as fast or invincible as I look. I could and can make mistakes just as bad or unexpected as the next person. _

_It was also the start of something wonderful. I finally let myself go into the feelings that had been floating around inside of me for Amy for quite some time now. In the past couple of years she'd gone from annoyance to close friend and confidant._

_And now this. Being told that making love to her…being with her was a mistake? _

_I'm just so confused…_

_I won't lie and say that I think she's wrong. In the beginning, I had serious doubts as to whether it was a good thing to be with her in that light. We'd been friends for so long – I couldn't imagine just sleeping with her that one night and leaving it at that. She's too good to be put through something like that; would have at least liked to take her out on a date or two, or dated a bit before we got caught up in it.._

_But the more I think about it, the more I realize that night we first made love was probably one of the best nights in my entire life. I went from doubting myself to being connected both emotionally and physically to a person who had a great amount of love and respect for me…and vice versa._

_Sad to think that such a tragedy had something so wonderful coming out of it. But, it also gives me one of the best examples of Amy's character to date:_

It was about 5 or 6 days after that kid was killed. I was still feeling pretty guilty and responsible, but fortunately for me, Amy was there to comfort me. She suggested trying to go to the kid's wake so that I might have the beginnings to a sense of closure over the whole thing. She also insisted on going with me for moral support; she respectfully decked herself out in black attire, as she also advised me to do as well.

"_Sometimes…colors can say more than words" she told me._

_What happened when we got there was anything but comforting._

We had arrived at the South Island Funeral Home shortly after noon. Never been to a funeral before, so I was taken back by the dozens of people there, weeping and gathered around a small white casket. I also can make out one person draped over the tiny coffin, whose crying is amplified above any of the gathered crowd.

_The kid's mother_. She's held me accountable for the death, and gave me a good slap across the face after it all happened. Her words still haunt me…

"_He was all I had left! Why couldn't you save him?"_

"_You took my baby away from me!"_

"_I hope you burn in hell for what you've done…"_

Pretty harsh words, but justified all the same. I could have at least checked for bystanders one or two more times at least…

I want to say something to her…to everyone there to say their farewells to this kid. But Amy tugs at my arm and motions for me to remain silent. She's a bit shaken by the scene herself; tears look as if they're going to fall, but are being held back out of sheer determination.

_Can tell she's trying to be strong for me…_

We continue through the crowd and towards the coffin, where we each place a white rose on upon the tiny casket. We turn around to leave when someone in the crowd recognizes me and starts up with a 'MURDERER' chant, to which others follow. That grabs the attention of the kid's mother, as she looks up towards me with tears in her eyes, her gaze quickly turning from sorrow to rage.

"_You!" she shouted. _She starts to make her way towards Amy and myself, all the while getting angrier. _"How **DARE **you…of all beings show up at a time when I'm saying my final goodbye?"_

By this time, we're face to face. I figured a confrontation like that was coming, so I stand there and let her finish what she had to say.

"_You took my baby away from me. He was all I had, and he meant the world to me. I'm all alone now because you couldn't save him..._

_I can't even hug or hold his body because of what happened. His face is distorted, and every bone in his body was broken…_

_No one here can see his face outside of the picture in front of his casket. _

_He looks unrecognizable because of what happened…"_

I know that Amy told me that words at a time like this could make it worse before it got better, but I managed to muster out a simple apology to her.

_She wasn't having any of it._ Next thing I knew, she was charging at me, screaming 'murderer' just like all the rest were still doing. I simply closed my eyes and waited for her to get on with whatever form of assault she was planning upon me, as I fully knew that it was something I deserved.

I stood there awaiting the confirmation of a stinging slap to my face, when I felt another mass come in front of me and make a small squeak noise before taking a little step back into me. I opened my eyes to see Amy standing there, a little flustered with a visibly red handprint on her left cheek. She had jumped in between myself and the grieving mother and received the slap that was so rightfully mine.

The kid's mother stood there for a moment, a bit shocked that her slap hadn't properly registered with me like she had intended it to. Amy just stood there, looking to her with a sympathetic gaze, all the while with her arms stretched out as if to protect me from another attack. She was probably right to do that, as the kid's mother went and tried to slap me again, but once more ended up striking Amy.

There must have been a few minutes worth of slapping and hitting, because Amy just stood there taking it all…before finally catching a fist and turning it into an embrace.

"_I know…we're both sorry" she said to her comfortingly. _She gently rocked her back and forth in her arms. _"He would be sad if he saw you like this…take care of yourself… for him."_

I had never seen Amy take a slap or beating without retaliating in some way before. And here she was, hugging and trying to comfort someone who had just given her a barrage of pain on my behalf.

She finally managed to calm her down before we left and went back to her place. The moment we stepped inside her apartment, I gave her the biggest hug I could muster before saying the following:

"_Why did you do that?" I asked curiously._

"_I didn't want her or anyone else there to make you feel any more guilty about what happened than you already are", she said softly. _She turned around in my arms to gaze directly into my eyes.

"_You did what you could, and that's all anyone can ever ask. You make mistakes just like everyone else, including myself, and I hope that by you being there, and even apologizing today in person that others realize that you're not perfect._

_Everyone has their shortcomings, and they can't keep holding you to an impossible standard that you can't fit." _She pulls me in for a soft kiss, before whispering in my ear:

"_They need to learn to believe in you again…like I do…_

_..And you also need to learn how to believe in yourself again..."_

And then came the kiss. A soft, sensual kiss that eventually became deeper each moment our lips were entwined with one another. I quickly found myself desiring a deeper connection, as my hands eventually found their way to her sides, rewarding me with a gentle sigh from her as they massaged and rubbed their way down her body.

My hands are briefly interrupted from their exploration as she breaks off our kiss and motions for us to move – we were still located by the entrance when we had started. I don't want to move too far, so I swiftly scoop her up in my arms and move to the kitchen table, carefully sitting her on top of it before we continue.

This time, I bring her in for a longing and meaningful kiss of my own as my hands go back to giving her body a gentle massage. She wraps her arms around my shoulders as our kiss continues, our tongues holding a battle between one another, lashing and looping against themselves as if to display just how much we longed to be connected with one another once more…

With each lash my tongue delivers to hers; I can steadily feel the passion arising between my legs. The fact that I'm wearing a black suit with pants intensifies the feeling, making the longing for our union stronger. It aches to be let out, unleashed and shared with the one person I wish to be connected with…

…_her._

At this realization, I let my guard down and allow her tongue to be victorious over mine. We both break off from our prolonged kiss, panting, staring deep into the other's eyes for confirmation - she wanted me, and I her. There was no one else at that moment that we envisioned ourselves being with…

She pulls me in for another kiss, a very soft one this time as her hands start to idly wander down my chest. She begins to loosen the black tie around my neck as my hands wander once again to her sides, finding their way to the top of her dress in front and unlatching the four or five buttons located on the front of her dress. From the opening, I can see a black lace bra and the hint of matching black lace panties as her chest rises and falls with each anticipating breath she takes.

As I earnestly pull down the top of her dress a bit to expose her bra, she's managed to undo my tie and start on my shirt with one hand. She opens each button on my shirt as she delivers a series of soft nibbles and kisses up and down my neck. Her other hand has managed to find its way down to my trousers, playfully rubbing away at the growing passion building up inside of me.

She finally manages to undo my belt buckle and pants, as they drop to the floor without much protest on my part. My erection is now out and free to achieve the connection it so earnestly desires…but can wait just a while longer. I manage to pull down the cup on her black bra containing her left breast, and catch the rosy nipple in my mouth, my tongue lashing at it hungrily. She elicits a small moan as I do so, which encourages me to use one hand to remove the other entrapped breast as my other hand reaches underneath her dress to remove her lace panties.

I spread her legs as her panties slowly fall beside my lowered pants on the floor. I pick my head up from her breast to once again look into those lovely emerald eyes of hers. There's a small pause before she finally nods her agreement for my entrance.

I position myself in front of her flower as I prepare to make my entrance, being mindful of our first time a few nights before. Our lovemaking had been so spontaneous, unexpected, that our first time together had resulted in a rather painful entrance on Amy's account. She relayed to me that she was still sore, so I took extra care to enter in as gently as I could. I used one hand to guide myself into her as the other playfully tweaked at her breasts to distract her from the possible soreness.

I'm half way inside when I pause for a moment to check with her. She nods again to continue, and insists that it's just a bit sore at the moment, but will get better in a bit. With that, I place the rest of myself inside before pausing once more, only this time for myself to adjust to the complete connection.

At first, we just stay like that for a moment or so, adjusting to being entwined to each other. Her taking my length and size, and myself eagerly adjusting to and enjoying the throbbing of her inner walls and warmth. I only begin to buck my hips into her when she smiles while tightening herself all around me. I grab a hold of her hips – then her legs as I start to build momentum due to the passion awaiting release from within me.

From that point, all I'm seeing are stars, as I can't manage to think of anything else except what we're doing, or anyone else except for her. Between the grunts and moans of ecstasy we both exchange, we also manage to murmur and howl the other's name…

I'm bucking my hips like a wild man as I almost reach my climax, but I want it to go out with a bang. I lift the both of us off her kitchen table and move, eventually pinning her back into the front of her refrigerator door. I grunt and moan amidst a series of powerful and longing thrusts before I finally release my essence inside of her with a powerful shouting of her name…

We both collapse onto the floor in each other's arms, a mixture of passion and sweat following us the whole way through. She delivers a loving kiss to my cheek. I also return one to her before commenting about eating off our 'love' table.

I also believe that was the day I made her swear not to tell anyone about us – after that kid was killed on my account, I'd hate to see something similar happen to her because the extent of our relationship had been made public.

Not that I wouldn't go public, but at the time, and this current moment, I don't feel like risking it. So it's a secret between the two of us…

If anything, we'd eventually go public…

_I snap out of my reminiscing and wander back to the situation at hand. _Amy doesn't want to speak or be around me for awhile. And for what reason, I don't know…

_But maybe there's someone who could help me figure it out._

I pull my mobile out once more and dial up a different number. It rings for a few seconds before someone picks up on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rouge. This is Sonic. How's it going?"

"Fine I guess…"

"Um hey, I have a bit of a favor to ask. I need to talk to female about something female-related. Do you have time today?"

"Not today Sonic. I'm busy…searching through my jewel catalogue."

"How does Friday from now sound?"

"Okay then. That's alright. Meet me at the Mystic Ruin Bar and Grille at 9 that night."

"Okay. Thanks. See you then."

_Click._ He closed his phone and put it back. What the hell was he thinking by calling Rouge, asking her for advice?

_Well, for one, she's pretty experienced relationship wise, even if it's more physical than emotional…_though she probably tries not to let on as much as she's willing to show.

_Plus, anyone else wouldn't really know what to do. Vanilla hadn't had anyone since Cream's father died, and Cream was just only beginning to be interested in the opposite sex herself, so that didn't help._

Rouge was his only option for finding advice at the moment, and he had to take it.

_I hope that something she'll say will help me figure out this mess between Amy and myself…_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. Hope you don't mind long, description heavy chapters – it's a part of my writing style, and I tried to snip and clip what I felt wasn't needed. I also tried to do the lemon scene getting into a heavy description of genitalia – it really irks me when I read some adult orientated stories that have at least a page and a half going on about how long and wide the male's penis was, or how big his partner's nipples were. _

_Next chapter involves Amy meeting with her obstetrician, Dr. Sara Rai (an original character of mine modified for this story) and running into Sonic on her way home from her first OB/GYN appointment concerning the baby…causing complications to arise._

_Stay tuned._


	3. Wrong Place At the Worst Time

_**Author's Note:** And now, we bring you Chapter 3 of Secret Affair. It's gone under some revisions, but it's good nonetheless. Main difference being that this will be one of those chapters talking through the point of view of two or more characters, rather than just either Amy's or Sonic's point of view solely._

_Also updating as somewhat of a birthday present to Kawaii Sonikku, the person responsible for the ideas upon which this fan fiction is based._

_And once more, Sonic the Hedgehog and other relating characters are property of Sega Enterprises/Sonic Team. The character of Sara R. Torinai, Aria Torinai, and any other not recognized as Sega are the property of me, Kitty Nakajima._

_Once again, if you are under the age of 17, please exit from reading this story now, as I nor the server(s) hosting this story will be held accountable for partial or whole reading of this story._

_(Amy's POV)_

_Tic. Tic. Tic._ The clock located in the OB/GYN waiting room is starting to piss me off. It's half past 8 at night as I'm sitting by myself in there, waiting to see my assigned obstetrician for the first time. A Doctor by the name of Ryder I believe – they told me that's who I'm supposed to be seeing when they phoned me up two days ago.

That and the fact that they mentioned I shouldn't eat anything so they could draw some clean blood samples. I've had blood drawn before and they'd never asked me to starve myself half to death so they can get a good sample. Plus saying I have to come in this late in the evening? – Does that really make sense? If you're going to make me starve to prick me with a needle, you better do it in the same breathe as well.

_Makes me wonder if this forced fast could possibly be any good on the baby…_

To kill time, my mind wanders back to the last time I had spoken with Sonic. This past Wednesday when he had called my apartment repeatedly and left several messages on my answering machine. The topic of all of them being the same - to get back to him.

"_C'mon Ames", one started. "I know you're home. Whatever's bothering you, we can talk about it… I don't know what I did, but whatever it is, I'm apologizing for it…"_

_I'll leave it at that, okay? You call me when you're ready._

_Take care now."_

I try not to be moved by the messages he had left during the course of that day, including the one where I finally got the nerve up to answer…and gave him one of the most incomprehensible ramblings that I had ever given in my entire existence.

"_Go away! I don't need you to look out after me._

_I'm better off without you…"_

That last sentence still fresh in my mind. Quite a fib actually – _I'm worse off without him._ If this had been a clean and cut romp between the two of us, I might have been better for it; finally realizing my dream of being with a person that I had grown to both love and admire, yet realizing I prefer to do so from afar.

Or simply put, just realizing that the two of us are incompatible as lemon and crème in a cup of tea…

I get out of my thoughts to take another glance at the wall clock. It's now a quarter to 9 _– this place closes at 9:30 and I've been sitting here, waiting to give blood and see this Dr. Ryder for nearly two and a half hours._

Was out of that cramped chair and at the receptionist's desk in the same actionIt only took a few seconds for the receptionist, a meek looking ewe to catch the the intensifying irritation that was currently forming upon my face.

"I'm…ss...sorry, Miss...ss…" she finally managed. "Bb...but our office will be closing within the..."

"CLOSING!" I exclaimed. Had to starve myself half to death for what should have been an appointment at 7 this evening. Starved and hungry for most of the day, and now being informed that the appointment I'd been waiting for would no longer take place?

This little tidbit of information was the last thing to finally break my now fleeting patience.

Do you even realize how long I've been waiting here?" I inquired while looking the sheep dead on in the eyes, all the while as my rage was building to a boiling point. I clenched my left hand into a fist, before slamming it down into the receptionist's desk. "I get called a little before 6 p.m. yesterday by someone here who told me not to eat anything at all for at least the next 8 hours after my last meal. I haven't eaten anything since 7:30 last night."

The ewe receptionist tried in vain to mutter some apologies to me, but I continued:

"Absolutely nothing, and now I'm being told that I have to do this _another_ time? How inconsiderate and inconvenient is that?"

The receptionist gave a little nod to my last statement. She had to admit, it was rather inconsiderate to an expectant mother to keep her on a fast when she needed to be munching and nibbling to ensure a healthy baby.

More inconvenient still as she let me know I would have to fast once more and come in for a rescheduled appointment concerning the matter. "We're going to have to reschedule you, Ms. Rose", she finally said, managing to convey a thought clearly for the first time during our little conversation.

I probably would have erupted into a pink fluff of fury if not for a nagging thought about the baby's wellbeing. _"All this rage probably isn't good for the baby" I_

_thought. "Need to calm down..." _

Slowly took in a deep breath before changing my stance to something that wouldn't be interpreted as intimidating by the now frightened receptionist. "Alright" I

mumbled in a tone much lower then the previous, "I'd like to make the next available appointment with a Dr. Ryder".

"Dr. Ryder?" the receptionist echoed back as she swiftly pressed a few keys on the keyboard connected to the desktop computer to pull up the appointment manager. A loud beep was heard after a brief moment, followed with a slight grimace on the ewe's face. She tried the same command a second, even a third time with advanced options, and ended up with the same result.

"I don't believe an appointment with Dr. Ryder will be possible, Ms. Rose", she cooed softly. She looked up at me, just as my resolve to remain calm was now dissolving. "It says here that Dr. Ryder won't be seeing any more patients from this clinic…" She gulped a little before continuing, "I think I probably should have mentioned…that she's taking up the position as chief obstetrician/gynecologist over at a medical clinic located on Westside Island…"

"WHAT!" I could have taken not eating and being told to reschedule…I guess it happens from time to time. But now being told that the doctor of my choosing would no longer see me?

_That was just too much…_

"Is there anyone else I can see?" I finally managed to say. At this point, I really didn't care who saw me, as long as it was all over and done with. Only thing I did care about was that it be a female doctor; was a bit iffy about male doctors in this particular field of medicine.

_All that mattered at the moment was that I at least be seen, by a female doctor, to make an inquiry or two about pregnancy in general…_

"What is going on here?"

I turn around to face another female dressed in a modest blue dress covered by a white laboratory coat. Another hedgehog like me, except she had been graced with tan fur and quills so long that they hung in a way that was similar to that of long human hair. Her quills and some other features, particularly the creases above her eyes, were tinted with a shade of a somewhat forest green. She also had these tints located on her legs, and apparently on her arms, though her coat was hiding it quite well. This shade of green also manifested itself in the one long strand of hair that was flowing down her face, and I watched her brush it to the side as she swiftly took off the spectacles that had been resting on her face before finally speaking again.

"What is going on here?" she inquired once more. I would have responded, but then I realized that both the inquiry and her questioning gaze were directed at the receptionist, who was quivering in her seat behind me.

The receptionist just stared back at her, stuttering and mumbling to herself in another horrid attempt at conjugating words. "Yy...you…see Doctor", she finally managed to mumble, "this is one of the last few patients that Dr. Ryder was assigned to before re…re...relocating to…"

"Stop right there, Ms. Rambert." Interrupted the female hedgehog, who apparently was a doctor according to the title that was given by the receptionist. She raised an eyebrow as she turned towards me and asked: "Ms., could you kindly tell me when this so called appointment with Dr. Ryder was scheduled with you?"

"Only yesterday evening" I said quickly. "They told me to not eat anything for up to 8 hours after my last meal and come in for an appointment at 7:30 this evening. I've been waiting here ever since I arrived. And what's worse is that I'm just now finding out that this Dr. Ryder no longer…"

She raised a hand up, as to motion for me to remain silent. "I've heard enough", she kindly stated to me. She then turned her attention towards the receptionist, who seemed to know full well what was coming.

_Looked to be the slaughtering of the lamb, if you will…_

"Ms. Rambert", she started, her tone of voice notably more irritated than before, "I thought I told you to remove Dr. Ryder's name from the scheduling system **_weeks_** ago…"

"Bbb...Utt...I…"

"But nothing! Dr. Ryder has not been practicing medicine at this location for the course of nearly 6 months! She should no longer be in our system for any new appointments. This is the fourth time in this WEEK that this little scheduling mishap has happened, and it's beginning to wear thinly on the patience of the women seeking treatment here!"

The receptionist still tried to murmur in some type of excuse, but the Doctor continued: "And furthermore, it's resulted in one of our patients now in a rather irritable mood, and having gone without any proper nourishment for herself and developing baby for at least the course of one day."

"But Dr. Torinai, I can't remove the name out of the system without an admin override", she finally managed to say. She pointed to the computer screen, where the name 'Ryder' was highlighted in blue.

"Nonsense", scoffed the doctor. "You damn well don't need an 'admin override' Ms. Rambert – you ALREADY have it!" She then positioned herself in front of the keyboard located on top of the desk, hit the Alt and Control keys, and finally the backspace key, which then erased Ryder (and the timetables located below the name) from existence on the screen.

She then turned her attention back towards the receptionist, who was staring at her with a cold sweat. "I think you should go home now, Ms. Rambert." She started. "Get a good night's sleep before you come in tomorrow morning, because by that time, you'll be clearing out this desk."

"What!" the lamb shouted, nearly falling out of her chair as she said it. The good doctor had just fired her right on the spot…_and in front of me, too._

_Serves her the hell right._

"You heard me…" the doctor solemnly stated. "If you don't want to work properly here, then I'm sure there are other job opportunities that would greatly appreciate your…_work ethic_…

They also might just appreciate the type of customer service you just gave this poor woman here – practically sending her away for the night when you should have at LEAST tried to see if any of the other doctors or myself would have at least gotten her basic examination done before either taking her on as a patient or assigning her to another doctor of her choosing." She went to type in something on the keyboard, which then listed the name 'Torinai' followed with 4 or 5 preoccupied spaces underneath it, with a sixth one remaining blank. She inquired my name, and then quickly typed it in before adding: "And as of now, Ms. Rose here is now a patient of mine out of courtesy that I was able to catch this in time…"

By this time, the ewe had finally given up on an explanation, and quickly stormed out of the waiting room. "If she's not going to do her job right, she shouldn't have been here at all", mumbled the doctor. She finally turned back to me, only this time she had a warmer smile and composition to herself than when she first made her presence known. "I'm really sorry you had to see that, but it had to be done…I can only imagine how worse it would have been if any of the other doctors or I didn't catch it. Laziness…isn't a liberty in this line of work."

I smile back at her and reply that it's nothing. _The receptionist was a bit cocky to me, but I never imagined anything like that…_

She extended an arm out to me, which soon became a firm handshake as I offered one of my own back, though it was a little wobbly. "I forgot to properly introduce myself to you, Ms. Rose" she said softly. "My name is Dr. Sara Rai Torinai. I'm a specialist in obstetrics medicine, particularly in the area of monitoring high risk pregnancies and aiding in the delivery of premature and high risk babies."

Wow. I had just gone from not having a doctor and not knowing how to go about finding another one. And now all of a sudden, I have a new one, and a specialist to boot.

_My luck is crazy sometimes…_

"Shall we begin the examination?" she asked me a few moments later. We had stepped into her office as she offered to quickly examine me. Examination wasn't anything I hadn't been through before – just charting down my height, weight, checking temperature, etc. Only things different were the numerous questions concerning the baby and how it came to be.

"Can you tell me the first day of your last period, Ms. Rose?" Dr. Torinai inquired, all the while scribbling a few notes on a clipboard. I had basically given the same response to all of the previously asked questions, as I was quite unsure myself. Mostly due to the amount of 'activity' with which Sonic and myself were engaged in at the time.

"That's quite alright", she finally stated, putting her clipboard down. "My educated guess at this time would be that you're currently 6-8 weeks pregnant." She was prepping my right arm with alcohol for the blood samples. "I'll have a better sense of how far along you are once we get an ultrasound done…"

Before I could answer, I cringe just a bit. Dr. Torinai had already inserted the sterile syringe into my arm, and had just finished taking her first blood sample. As she was nearing the end of her second and final sample, she inquired the following:

"Would you mind if I offered you a bite to eat?"

I raise an eyebrow and ask her why. Doctors taking patients out to dinner seems a bit…off.

"Well, I feel bad that your first appointment for your baby didn't go so smoothly" she finally answered. She said all this while she put her notes and my stats away in a folder that had my name on it. "That receptionist should not have treated you the way she did, and should have at least gotten a doctor to do your first OB/GYN examination before you left tonight".

I open my mouth to decline, since I've only just met the woman in the span of an hour, but my stomach's inner rumblings indicate otherwise. I slowly nod a reluctant agreement to her invitation.

_Looks like someone down there is pretty hungry…_

She chuckles at this gesture and smiles. "I guess your baby is accepting my invitation for you." We both walked out of her office as she closed the door behind her and locked it. I try to apologize for any inconveniences having me as a patient might have caused her, but she insists that it's nothing to worry about.

"I should be getting more patients right now" she jokes. She mentions how in the past month alone, at least half of her patients had already given birth, or were due to deliver within the next week or so. She also insists that I call her just Sara from this point onward; something about establishing and maintaining friendships with her patients long after their babies have been born.

I also state that she can call me by just my first name, so that we're both on mutual ground. I admit I was a bit of a nervous wreck at first; I'm starting to calm down about it…

…at least the meeting the doctor part of it…

…_I still have to tell you know who._

By the time that thought has stopped lingering over my head for the moment, we're inside her car at about 9:45 and off to a place she says is pretty much open this time of night whenever she's on call for a delivery at the Station Square Medical Center.

_Mystic Ruins Bar and Grille._

_(Sonic's POV)_

I look at my watch. It's already 9:30. Rouge is late. But that doesn't necessarily surprise me – she generally comes off as the type who'd like to be 'fashionably late'.

I tap my fingers on the table I'm seated at as I look at the name of the establishment as it hangs over the bar area.

_Mystic Ruins Bar and Grille. _Sort of stupid when the place is located in Station Square. But I guess it works as a gimmick, as the place is a bit crowded.

Then, I notice who I'd been waiting for the past half hour. Coming in the main entrance, and having a path cleared for her automatically as if she were on fire.

_Rouge._

My mouth dropped a little bit when I finally took notice of what she had on. A nice little black beanie on her head, with her bangs brushed over her left eye underneath it. She was also sporting a black sequin halter top, with a matching mini skirt and platform boots (with clear heels) to finish it off.

Not to say that she didn't look…_interesting_…but I always preferred the 'covered up' look Amy sported to that.

_Always left something to my imagination, if you know what I mean…_

Even a bit more interesting that she could dress like that when she knew full well how Knuckles felt about her parading around like that in public…

She eventually makes her way over to my table, and promptly takes a seat in front of me, after having a random stranger pull a chair out for her in a gentlemanly manner. She scolds me for not offering to do so.

"I don't pull chairs out for people who are over thirty minutes late for a conversation" I grumble. I feel like I should cancel, but since she's here, I try to get to the point, clean and simple. "I have some inquiries about women", I state bluntly.

She raises her visible eyebrow and coos, "Oh?" in a half interested, half amused tone. She's going to have fun hearing this, so I just pull the "I'm seeing a person named so and so" type thing. I don't think she should be the first to know about what's been going on between me and Amy…

I go on with the so and so story for a couple of minutes, with little inquiries in between like, "are you sure she enjoyed doing that with you?" as well as a request to remove her boots as they were starting to annoy her feet.

She finally asks me to stop explaining. She seems to give what I've said a bit of thought in between sips from an alcoholic beverage she had ordered a moment ago. She takes in one more sip of her beverage before finally speaking.

"It seems to me" she started off slowly, "that the reason behind your little relationship trouble would be that you don't know how to properly…utilize what you have…"

I cock an eyebrow up in curiosity. _Utilize?_

Before I can ask for a better explanation, I suddenly feel something warm rubbing against the bottom of my pants._ With prodding little points to it as well…_

It's only a brushing feeling at first, but as I try to ignore it, it gets firmer and stronger, added in with the sudden excitement that is growing in my lower region. I finally shoot a quick glance underneath the table to see why she had taken off her boots…

I motion for her to cut it out, but it only succeeds in making her rub my lower regions harder with her foot.

_I suddenly start to rethink those rumors Tails had passed onto me about the constant breakups and next day reunions that she and Knuckles had supposedly been having of late…_

"Rouge", I state in a firm tone of voice. "Stop it right now. This isn't what I came here to do…"

"Nonsense." she giggles. She finally does stop for a moment, before going on with her 'teasing'. She moves in closer to me, to the point where we're barely inches apart from one another…

"You need help to in the area of fully 'utilizing' your 'assets'…" she whispers. "And just maybe…I might be able to help you out with that…"

And before I know it, she's locked me into a full blown kiss. My eyes are wide, mind in shock, as I'm fully taken in what is happening at the moment.

_The rumors of Rouge's infidelity were true. And now I had first account of it._

_Knuckles would probably kill me if he found out, taken that the rumors also ended with the 'guy' she had been seeing beaten to a bloody pulp at his hand._

_If Amy….oh my god…it's bad enough she's not speaking to me right now, but if she found out, or even saw this…_

My mind was still fresh on that last thought when I suddenly took notice of a very familiar shade of pink both come into view and fade away all at once…

_Oh shit._

I push Rouge off of me, shouting one or two obscenities her way, as I make my way through the crowd that is slowly gathering around the fallen pink mass.

My heart falls into my shoes when I finally catch a better view of who had just fallen…

_It was Amy._ Another female hedgehog was there, trying to wake her up, but to no avail. She tried to administer CPR while signaling for someone to call an ambulance. I stepped in and motioned that it wasn't necessary, as I scooped her up in my arms, with the hedgehog that had been helping her out yelling the name of the closest hospital.

Given that it's Amy, I'm pretty sure that she saw what happened between me and Rouge moments before. I' would have expected a group of assaults from her Piko Piko Hammer for weeks after this…but this… she wouldn't 'overreact' about it like this…especially if she knew I didn't want/expect Rouge to do that…

_Something's seriously wrong…_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. Next chapter consists of a pretty heated fight between Amy and Sonic at the hospital concerning his way too feely meeting with Rouge over at the Mystic Ruins Bar and Grille. Stay tuned!_

_And continue to review!_


	4. Sex and Responsibility

_**Author's Note:** And now, Chapter 4 of the story. I would just like to take the time to apologize for the lack of an update, which is mainly attributed to computer difficulties. My personal computer is just about on its last leg – 7 years old at least with a now busted monitor (replaced with a new flat screen), and a CPU that is quickly catching up to the same status of dead._

_It might increase the gap between updates, but I will continue to update the story as best I can, given the circumstances._

_And as always, the characters of Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, and any other characters from the Sega Sonic universe are copyright of Sega Enterprises/Sonic Team. Only the characters of Sara R. Torinai and Aria Torinai are copyrighted to me. _

_And any young readers out there, please click off the browser page because, well...you probably shouldn't be reading this if you're expecting hardcore lemon in this chapter, as I've sort of planned the majority for later on during the course of the story. :D_

_(Sonic's POV)_

_SLAP! _I hold back a grunt as I take a moment to gather my bearings. A red silhouette in the form of Amy's hand is slowly making itself known upon my face, both from the stinging and bruising.

I don't even think she had said anything to me before she slapped me across the face, and from the steadily growing expression of rage forming upon her features, I can only come to one conclusion, and one conclusion alone:

_She saw the 'kiss'._

I'm pretty sure that's the whole reason behind her anger, as she finally manages to say something to the effect of _"If you can't sleep with me, you have to sleep with **her?"** _

_Wait a minute…sleep with Rouge? _

"It's not what it looked like…" I start out slowly to her. "It truly isn't."

"Then what was it, Sonic?" she asks, albeit impatient to wait for a tactful reply. Her arms are now crossed over her chest as she places herself into a defensive type stance; one foot eased out a bit to the front, supporting some of her weight as the other carefully supports the rest.

"Well…" I replied, pausing a bit to form my words carefully, "I was kind of there at the bar with her to um, talk."

"About?"

"Things concerning us." I finally managed to finish.

She cocks an eyebrow up while saying "Is that so? I thought you wanted to keep 'us' a secret."

I then start to speed up and tell her how I never mentioned her name, and how Rouge only appeared to be half listening to me before dropping that kiss on me. Also add in the fact that she must have been drunk because it (the kiss) tasted of alcohol that had been consumed over a long period of time.

"I'm not going to be the next guy Knuckles beats to a pulp because of this", I finally finish with.

_And it's true – if Knucklehead ever heard about this, he'd be on me faster than flies on shit._

There's a moment of silence between us before she finally states that thinking of Knuckles didn't stop our kiss, and that it probably wouldn't have stopped if she hadn't fainted on the spot from shock.

_Argh! Nothing I've said has gone through to her! She's being just as pigheaded and untrusting as all those people who doubted me the instance that kid was killed accidentally on my account…_

I tell her this, to which her rage only intensifies. "THAT'S NOT THE SAME THING!" she fires back. She's really pissed off at me now. But I calmly inform her that it is indeed the same thing – _seeing something and believing it, when the story behind it actually reveals a little bit more…_

I would have gone on to further prove my point, but I pause to ask her one question:_ "Why is so she so intent on believing I would sleep with Rouge or another person altogether?"_

And that's pretty much when it went on to some revelation from her, where she relays to me that she felt that I was just using her for sex. That since she wasn't 'putting out' anymore, the kiss only proved that I just want to have sex for the sake of having it. "Making her do things that she wasn't comfortable with doing, like 'sucking you off'", as she puts it. Or just any time we spent together always resulting and ending with sexual intercourse.

Does that even make sense? I already thought it was clear to her that I'm not the type who'd fuck someone and let them think things they shouldn't be thinking. Hell, I even thought it was clear to her that sex was a bit more than sex for the both of us…

_But I guess I was wrong…_

I'm irate by this point, and it all comes to a head when I absent-mindedly blurted out the following:

"_If that's the way you feel about it, then maybe you should have had the foresight to keep your legs closed!"_

_SLAP!_ I've been rewarded with another slap for that little outburst.

_I probably would have been rewarded with more when she falls to her knees on the floor of the hospital room we're in. Her face has gone a little pale, even a bit greenish at some points as she's coughing and wheezing while cupping her mouth with one hand, the other clinging onto her stomach. _

_I feel like a dick for having said it, when it was only meant as a mental thought, and even worse that it caused this reaction from her. I lean forward to try and help her to her feet, but she slaps my hands away, muttering "Go away" in between coughs._

_The coughs only got worse from there, so I reluctantly did an about face and left her to the care of the female hedgehog who had been there when she collapsed, and Rouge, who had finally managed to show up…_

And that was at least 2 hours ago. I've been running ever since. Left Station Square awhile back, and I'm now in the Mystic Ruins. So much stress back there, so I need a good run to stretch my legs and forget about what just went down.

_But I can't forget._ Every word that Amy and I exchanged, every thought she relayed …pushed my mind to work and think back to the many nights we had spent together intimately…

_Being connected to one another intimately in intercourse for the first time, and the times following. Holding her tight afterwards and having her fall asleep in my arms. Being with someone who cared and respected me in a way that no other had before…_

Then came the unpleasant thoughts. The ones that I was having trouble picturing, but finally managed to see as I was all alone.

_The ones that made me cringe, as these were my own actions…_

"_You made me suck you off…" she said. _And my mind wandered back to the first time I had asked her to perform fellatio on me. She did it of course, and I enjoyed it. But the recovered memory of her gagging and sputtering before, after, and during the act sent a shudder down my spine.

I think we managed to incorporate fellatio into our lovemaking every time after that. I begin to slow down as images of her gagging and not enjoying herself begin to crowd my mind.

Of Amy gagging. Or coughing. Of her not smiling.

_She wasn't smiling when she broke it off with me…_

By now, I'm at a complete stop. The realization that she hadn't been enjoying sex for awhile has me bothered. Knowing Amy, she wouldn't hesitate to let you know how she feels.

But then again, it also might be that if it was making _me_ happy, what she felt didn't matter.

"_I'm a jerk." I mutter to myself._

I stop and think. Did I once try to help her enjoy it? My mind idles searching for an answer and turns up with no memory of such a thing. I hadn't. Not once. Not ever.

I never once tried to inquire on what she liked…what she wanted. Never once left myself to her every whim…

_It was always about me._

And that's when the real guilt sinks in. The realization that a lot of what she said tonite was actually true. The realization that I was that capable of hurting her with such an act that should be considered something special…

_The realization that I might not ever be able to participate in it with her again…_

_I think back to what she said about feeling used for sex and the fear of me sleeping with another person. I try to think of it in her light, and it doesn't feel too good. I start to remember how the "I love you" she would say afterwards became less and few in between as we went on…_

_How I would leave early without letting her know where I was going, or before she even woke up to see me off…_

_How I never vocalized my own emotional sentiments like she had so many times before we had embarked upon this relationship…_

Each realization felt like a stab to the heart, digging deeper and harder every single time. I had basically succeeded in using her more or less, even if I had not meant it as so. Leaving her in question of my true feelings more or less…

And that's the main question here: what are my true feelings?

I think back to all that we had been through together. The numerous adventures and rescues, and the many things we had found out about one another along the way.

I look back at the geeky little girl that proclaimed to be my number one fan, who always managed to find me no matter how swift I was.

The caring young lady, who when not looking for me, took notice of people's problems when I was too fast to notice. The beautiful woman that I know now, who has been there for me thick and thin…who has never had any reason to doubt me…

…_until now._

"She's special", I finally allow myself to admit.

I begin to remember other things as well. A feeling of being wanted, which only manifested itself whenever I was away for long periods of time. Everyone else would go about their business, but she would be the only one who was truly waiting for me to return safely.

If I had nothing else to return to, there was always this feeling of anticipation in the form of a smile and a hug from her to look forward to. _The fact that I'm even remembering this warmly is a bit odd…_

But the warmness continues to build up in the form of other thoughts. The thought that this would be the one person who would always think of me, even if I wasn't thinking of her.

The fact that I found myself thinking of her more often. Or running into her more often.

The fact that now, after that one eventful night, I could no longer see myself with a need or desire to run away from her in the manner that I had for years.

My feelings for her were now out in the open. I think this might be what you call love, because I only see myself running to her after the fight is over. She has seen me for who I am for so long, and it's only now that I've grown to appreciate and see her in a light of a person that I want to love.

I guess you can say this is what also drives me to run to her rescue and aid these days. Not for the sheer fact that she's a friend, or simply someone who got in the way. But for the fact that every moment I'm uncertain about her wellbeing is a driving force towards making it reality…

And that's when the recent images of Amy flood back into my mind, including the one of her in the hospital.

Without hesitation, I kick up my shoes and speed all the way back to Station Square Medical Center, twisting and turning through the halls to the very room where Amy and I had been talking only hours before.

_She's gone._

I grab the nearest medical personnel and inquire about her wellbeing, and told that she was only treated for mild dehydration, along with a lack of sustenance. She was also cleared to leave in the same time span, and hadn't been gone for more than an hour…

_Mild dehydration and lack of sustenance? _She hasn't been eating or drinking?

_What's going on?_

_(Amy's POV)_

Sara was nice enough to come down by the hospital and offer me a ride home. She kept on apologizing for bringing me to that bar, but I told her that I probably would have collapsed regardless of where we went.

She still was a bit shaky about it, because she went on to say that it might have been an awkward thing to see your significant other kissing someone else when you're trying to describe him in a good light.

_Especially when he's the father of your unborn child…_

She admits that she heard a good bit of the fight we had in the hospital room, including the part when he practically inferred I was leading him on with that fresh "keep your legs closed" remark.

What she's saying is slowly becoming a blur as my mind wanders off to what Rouge had said at the hospital. I felt a good bit guilty about getting Sonic irate after she admitted that she had kissed him and put him in that position. She somewhat apologized, but also had the nerve to say that it he wasn't any contract as my boyfriend to begin with. Some friend – I always saw myself running to her for advice concerning men and sex. But now, given this, I doubt I'll be doing that again.

_Also makes me wonder how Knuckles can deal with her shit on a regular basis…_

And it's true Poor guy lives on a floating rock for most of his life and he's too gullible to see how little she seems to think of him. She's out and about having a fling with any guy she wants while he's going about duties and responsibilities that he can never truly leave.

I let her know this before taking out my Piko Piko Hammer and waving it inches above her face, as a sort of warning. "The next time you pull shit like that, I'm letting Knuckles know just how little you think of your relationship with him." I tell her.

"And that's not just for trying lay Sonic either." I add. Cream had passed on to me some stuff Tails had told her about Rouge and the stuff she did with other guys when she wasn't visiting Knuckles. "I'll tell him straight out about the others too. He deserves better…"

She doesn't flinch at that last statement, and I leave her like that. _I can only hope she heard me…_

I snap out of my reminiscing as the car comes to a stop. I look around – we're not in my part of Station Square, though we're maybe a couple of blocks away. Sara excuses herself for a moment.

"I need to pick something important up", she states. She gets out of the car and runs up the stairs to a quaint little one apartment building and waits. An elderly looking raccoon comes out, with something wrapped up in a heavy fleece, which she then hands over to Sara. Sara then cradles it, before bidding goodnite to the raccoon and rushing back down the steps to the car. She opens the right rear passenger seat and loads it into a car seat that I hadn't noticed when I got in.

I'm still trying to get a good look at what's in the back when she's back at the wheel. "My daughter." She whispers. I nod and smile as I realize that she's asleep, and don't want to wake her up.

She left the engine on idle, so there's no need to start the car up as we drive off towards my apartment complex. I forget about what transpired at the hospital for a moment as I start to ask her about her daughter.

"She's one and a half, and her name is Aria", she coos. And that's just the basic facts – she also states how much of her jerk Aria's father was.

"He never wanted her in the first place" she states. Mentions that he never wanted kids, but was interested in a long term relationship, but on the condition that she terminate the pregnancy. Said that he even asked her to even after she revealed that keeping the pregnancy meant a lot to her after she had a stillbirth several years before.

"It's what motivated me to pursue the area of high risk pregnancies." she said. "A lot of doctors out there don't know what the patient is going through. It makes for a better understanding and appreciation when you can relate your own experiences to your patients."

I ask her if she's okay with the fact that her daughter might not have a father in her life.

"If he can't accept the fact that she's a part of him", she started, "then it's his loss. Can't force someone into a responsibility that they're too afraid to take, right?"

I nod a slight agreement, but also state that a responsibility is a responsibility whether you want to have it or not.

_And it's true. Just because you don't take care of your kid doesn't mean that you're exempt from the responsibility. _

The car stops, and I realize that I'm finally home. I thank Sara for the amount of trouble she's gone through for me tonite, and wave a little goodbye to Aria in the back seat.

Sara runs out of the car after I close my door and gives me a card with the date and time for my next appointment with her. "I would have shouted it out, but I would have woken up Aria", she says sheepishly.

I stand in the doorway and watch her drive off before fumbling around for my keys, my mind a bit heavy in thought from our conversation on parental responsibility.

_She obviously enjoys what she does, and the fact that she's a parent. But what about Sonic?_

_And what about me? If he wants no part of it, I'm the one who has to be responsible. _

_I try to remove the idea of terminating the pregnancy as an option, but have a bit of difficulty doing so. There was still a good bit of time for me to follow through on it. But there was also the fact that it could make it much harder on me in telling Sonic the news, if at all._

_I hardly doubt "Hey Sonic! I terminated the pregnancy you caused!" is going to sound any better than telling him I'm pregnant._

_And besides, it's just a thought. If I wanted it done, it would have been done by now. And I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of finding an obstetrician…_

My thoughts are interrupted by a sudden breeze, and a little pressure coming from my stomach. "I'll just make myself something quick to quiet my stomach." I say to myself.

_I open the door and step inside to the calm and warm atmosphere of my apartment, wondering if I happened to catch a glimpse of blue in that mysterious little breeze…_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. Kawaii Sonikku and I discussed this chapter over again and again, and this is the end result._

_Stay tuned for the next chapter, in which part of it will be told through Shadow's view of the events as Amy comes to him for some advice concerning the matter._

_Shadow and advice? I know it seems a bit weird. But Shadow always pegged me as the type of guy who does a lot of silent observation for the most part, and considering that he's come to terms with his 'past' now (if you've played Shadow the Hedgehog, you know what I'm getting at) he would probably have a lot more time to do just that._

_And as always, keep reviewing!_


	5. Bittersweet Advice

_**Author's Note:** Hey they folks. Time for another chapter in the story, and hopefully one that some Shadow enthusiasts might enjoy._

_As with the previous chapter, this one has undergone some changes as well after a bit of discussion with Kawaii Sonikku. Mostly detail oriented, but changes nonetheless._

_And I'll just skip right on down to the story from this point onward, since having to repeat who's copyrighted to whom or warning underage readers to be gone is getting too repetitive at this point…_

_(Amy's POV)_

"_Ma'am, $45.48 please". _I dig through my wallet to produce the funds needed to pay for my purchase. Nothing too expensive or fancy with my groceries, save the exception of the recent addition of pre-natal vitamins. Sara suggested them as a means of replacing nutrients that the baby has been sapping out of me.

The vitamins make up half of the bill for this little excursion…_and it's only a generic brand._ Granted I still have a good bit of money on me, but I've put myself on a budget. _Had to anyway – my health insurance is having a fit over the $500+ 'meal' I had in the emergency room a week and a half ago. They wouldn't have covered it at all if I hadn't haggled them down to 75 of the total bill…but not without raising the cost of my payment._

I finish paying for my groceries and exit the store, a bit irate that the cashier didn't double bag the brown paper with plastic. Normally wouldn't care if it was a bright and warm day, but with a glance at the sky and the dampness around me, the moisture is going to rip through the…

_Rip._ Sure enough, the bag springs a hole at the bottom. As I rush to rearrange the heavier items on the bottom, an orange breaks through the opening and rolls away from me down the street. I suddenly remember that I didn't close my produce bags while in the store, and quickly do so before going in pursuit of the citrus.

_It is a bit silly to chase after a piece of fruit like this, but at this rate, every bit of food counts right now…_

_(Shadow's POV)_

_Crack. _I stepped on one of the freshly fallen branches from a nearby tree. The weather has been quite dismal lately, and the dark gray clouds swirling around above are further proof that it should start to pour shortly.

Luckily for me, I shall not be caught in the impending downpour – I'm currently en route to a local café in town to enjoy a warm cup of coffee while reading the daily paper.

I've been doing this for quite some time now, as I've finally managed to make somewhat of a regular routine for myself, now that the issues concerning my past have been long resolved.

_Get up._

_Eat._

_Read._

_Eat again and maybe with a bit of coffee._

_Exercise._

_Watch the evening news if possible, and for the sole purpose of ridiculing the humans and their way of life._

_Sleep and rest up to begin the cycle anew the next day._

I've have too much time these days to fall into this idle routine, but at least it's one I enjoy at the moment.

That's usually if the doctor isn't up to his usual nonsense. I have a tendency to not jump into action until that faker and his friends have gotten their asses pounded fair enough for me to enter…

…or until I finished my damn coffee.

Which ever comes first.

Usually tend to toy with the doctor before I throw his ass over to Sonic to deal with. Mostly for amusement, and also as a constant reminder to him that you don't play mind games with me and get away with doing so…

I rouse out of that last thought as I stop by a newsstand to purchase today's edition. Usually only read the World Edition, but changed my mind as I caught the glimpse of a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. I hesitantly pay for it before continuing on my way to the café.

It's a tabloid called the Station Square Inquirer, and who should be on it but none other than the faker and bat. I've happened to read a few, but quickly dismissed them as rubbish written up by talent less imbeciles.

However, I will always make an exception if the faker or I are involved. _It's always a good laugh and a half from previous experiences…_

_The headline reads 'Sonic Getting Rowdy with Unknown Female" with a picture of both in what seems to be a bit raunchy for the front cover. Upon further inspection of the image, which included the both of them seated across from one another at a table, I notice the awkward position Rouge is seated in, and where the placement of her foot is._

I cringe slightly as the realization of why she appears so awkward dawns on me.

That bat. She's a nymphomaniac of the type that would gladly jump into bed with anything that walks, slithers, or crawls. Almost makes me feel sorry for that poor sap of an echidna since I've seen what she can do firsthand.

_Almost._

It makes me laugh each time I might see her image in one of these; she's obviously still careful enough to disguise herself as to not be picked up by the government and blowing her cover. Yet I doubt whether or not she was would really matter to her.

I chuckle to myself as I take a good look on the flabbergasted expression on his face. He's not enjoying it in the least bit, and with a bit of good reason. Rouge is pretty crazy when it comes to sex.

_And this lies in the fact that she'll still wants to go at it after one good orgasm in my experience…_

I shake the thought out of my head as I take notice of another picture located on the front page. A smaller photo of Amy Rose, and she doesn't appear to be happy in the least. I frown at this. While I might laugh at the others in this type of situation, I'm not too sure about her – the only one out of the 'usual' group who gives me the time of day. We usually meet up these days at the café for some coffee (tea in her case) and chat up a storm on stupid shit. _Though recently, that hasn't been the case as I haven't seen her around…_

"She's usually fighting off those paparazzi" I say to myself. She doesn't take the lies and garbage they write about her or Sonic to heart, but she doesn't take them lightly either. I think I remember her telling me rather proudly she won all liability lawsuits she's placed.

And that's with cash settlement too.

But regardless, it feels a bit strange seeing her in this, given the headline. Whatever Sonic was doing with Rouge probably didn't require them dragging her into it, but at the same time, it does. Apparently she's known as his girlfriend to these papers, but the way he acts around her proves otherwise.

_Squish._ I halt my steps to take notice of the mess of fruit now on my air shoes. Upon further inspection, some of it has jammed up the exhaust openings for the left shoe. I start to peel it off when I'm suddenly shoved to the ground by the extra weight of someone else's body, along with the a few miscellaneous items that are scattered nearby.

_Amy._

She quickly apologizes for knocking me over and proceeds to collect the scattered items, all the while inquiring about a piece of citrus that is most likely now rubbish on the sidewalk and on my shoe.

"You shouldn't have dropped it then", I tell her, pointing to the last few remnants of it scattered about. Her face looked a bit disappointed, but she continued to gather up the rest of her fallen items, to which I finally relented and aided her in.

"I'm on my way to have some coffee at the café" I say to her after a few moments. "I'll…buy your usual to make up for the fruit."

I was saying this as I went to pick up her last item, which looked to be a bottle containing vitamins of some sort_. I idly started to read the label: "Brand A Vitamin Supplement for Pre-Nata…" _Stopped when she took the bottle and placed it back in her bag, looking a bit flustered. "Doctor said I'm lacking nutrients" she says, as she nods her agreement to my proposal.

With that, the both of us continue onward towards the café in silence, having split some of her items amongst ourselves to carry. As I open and hold the door for her to enter, I notice something different about her.

She seemed…_paler?_

_That's not it. She's not looking sick. But she doesn't really have a smile to give right now…_

_It might be brighter – she seems to have a bit of a glow to her…_

I'm still taking notice of this as we order and sit down to enjoy our beverages. I ordered a black coffee for myself, and was about to instinctively order a cup of her regular tea when she mentioned she'd rather have hot chocolate…_something about her needing to cut down on caffeine as her doctor advised her to do so._

We sit in absolute silence, with me having had 2 more cups of black coffee and about to go for a third. She has had only one sip from her cup by this time.

She's also usually a mile a minute, engaging in lively conversation about the goings on in the world.

But not today. It's a bit too obvious something is on her mind.

"Is there something you wish to talk about?" I ask, finally breaking the silence between us. She looks up at me, albeit reluctant, but finally manages to deliver a yes answer.

"I have a friend who's in this situation…" she starts.

_I thought we were past the "I have a friend" problems by now..._

"You can cut the bullshit and get to the heart of it", I tell her. She doesn't have to pretend around me. Partly because most 'problems' she has revolve around the faker, and I think I've heard and answered every inquiry to his feelings from my perspective as best I could – _she should forget about him and take the time to find someone who isn't going to ignore her every chance they get…_

She starts off again, and relays to me the whole story of fainting after seeing Rouge playing footsies with Sonic at the Mystic Ruins Bar and Grille. I reproduce my copy of the Station Square Inquirer as she finishes and tell her it made front page of this.

Weird. No reaction. "I read it" she states, pushing it back over to me nonchalantly.

Guess it was true.

_Weirder still that these things can have actual truth to them…_

She finishes by stating that Rouge admitted to trying to get Sonic to let her ride him like a horse, but only after having harsh words with him beforehand after coming to at the hospital.

Apparently they haven't spoken since it happened initially…

"So?" is all I manage to say after she's finished. That doesn't necessarily strike me as odd behavior from him in the least; there have been plenty of occasions where they haven't spoken for weeks on end. And it usually turns out alright in any event.

"Don't worry about it", I say, trying to reassure her that things will be back to normal in time.

_Why shouldn't they be?_

"Things aren't the same", she mumbles. I now notice that she's almost on the verge of tears as she's saying this, but is managing to hold them back.

_Must have been one hell of a fight those two had…_

I pause for a moment to take another sip of my third cup. It's managed to cool down a little after she finally began to open up…

_Sip. She begins to say something._

"It's not going to be the same, or even what you would call normal again, Shadow…"

"Because?" _Sip. Gulp. Sip…_

"…because…I'm pregnant."

**_Sputter!_** Her last statement was enough for me to spit out my coffee, burning my tongue and chocking on liquid in the process. I grab a napkin from the holder situated on the table to wipe the excess coffee from my chin and cover my mouth.

After a few minutes of coughing and gagging, I ask her if she's joking, to which she looks me dead on in the face and utters a low "no".

Wow. I wasn't expecting that.

"Sonic's the father", she adds in.

I _definitely_ wasn't expecting that either.

Damn. And here I was, thinking the faker didn't have any interest in women in general. And here right now is the girl who he's run away from more times that I care to count, who's basically relaying to me that the both of them have been intimate enough to procreate.

_Well, maybe I'm not so surprised. All that repressed sexual energy stuck in him was bound to come to a head sometime…_

She notices my shock and lets me know that I'm the first of everyone else to know about it, including him. She also wants to know if I have any advice on how to tell Sonic, if she does at all…

"What do you mean by, if you tell him at all?" I ask.

She lets me in on what's been going on between them the last six months, including how it all started with the death of one kid, to how it seemed as if the faker was just using her for sexual gratification. She refers to the fact that she thought briefly about terminating the pregnancy, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She wants to keep it, even though she's scared, and thinks Sonic is a bit immature to take up a responsibility such as this.

_I'll agree with her on the latter. He didn't have enough sense to use contraception, and this is the end result…_

I let her know what I think it from the last thought, but she excuses him and states that it's her mistake as well. I rolled my eyes at this; she's always making some sort of excuse for him…

"So what do you want me to tell you?" I inquire plainly, staring back at her. "You know what I'm going to say, right? Tell him and see how he feels about it."

"But…", she begins. "I don't know if I want to tell him…"

"So? He has a right to know about it." I answer, "If anything, I think the both of you are being idiots given the circumstances.

You both wouldn't be in this situation if you took the time to buy a damn condom…something…anything to prevent what's happened now. You both are equally to blame, and rather than just wander around and not tell anyone (save me), you're just going to take the suffering in silence and let him get out of it?"

She nods a simple yes.

"Well, I'm telling you right now that what you're doing is pretty stupid, even if you think that leaving him in the dark is going to be beneficial for the both of you in the long run.

I can't say anything else on the matter. You have to tell him and see how he feels."

"What if he hates me for it?" she asks.

"Well, like I said, he's just as responsible, and if he wants to negate responsibilities, he's a coward. You're better off in that case." I say.

"But what if…"

I'm more than irritated by this point. I've already given my advice to her (which really isn't all that hard to understand) and she's slapping every tidbit away in hope of something better.

_Hell, she probably already knows the answer in her heart anyway…_

"What more can I say on the matter, Amy!" I snap. I decide to lower my tone of voice as she nearly jumped out of her seat. "I've told you what I think, and what I think you should do. There's nothing really more for me to say other that I think you're playing stupid and hoping for an easy way into a good answer.

And I already know that you know what you want out of all of this…"

"Am I really that easy to read?" she asks, blushing a bit in the process.

"It's written all over your face", I reply. "You've always had an idea of what you want out of life, and I know you've had the answer to this for quite some time.

There is nothing more for me to say except start listening to what your heart feels."

After this, nothing but silence. I guess she took my words to heart, as she finished her hot chocolate and moved to leave the shop. She thanks me as she trots on over to the exit.

I stretch my legs out some more underneath our table and hit something that collapses. Didn't have to look to realize that she had forgotten her groceries. Again.

_She is a bit absent-minded, especially whenever the subject of faker extraordinaire is brought up. _

_I gather up the contents of the bag, and run on over to her after she makes it out the door and outside in the rain. Out of instinct, I use my free arm to reach and grab one of her hands, pulling her back aside to receive her groceries. She nearly loses her balance, and would have fallen on the sidewalk if I hadn't caught her in my arms after I set the bag down in the nanosecond that it occurred. _

_Another one of those awkward moments of silence occurred before I broke it once more._

"_You forgot your groceries", I state._

"_Um…thanks." _

_I'm about to help her up to her feet when I catch a glimpse of a familiar face out of the corner of my eye._

"Amy?"

_We both look up to see Mr. Faker standing before us, arms crossed as he's tapping a foot idly. Looks as if he was caught in the full extent of the storm, as he's also soaked from head to toe._

_Wonderful. It wouldn't surprise me now if this ended up in the next edition of Station Square Inquirer…_

_And that's it for this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one when this little 'triangle' (at least from Sonic's point of view), as well as the previous issue between Sonic and Amy comes to a head._

_And as always, review!_


	6. Revelation and Forgiveness

_**Author's Note:** I think I should take the time right now to point out a few things here to everyone before we start the following chapter:_

_The story won't be ending any time soon. From how Kawaii Sonikku and I have planned it, this story is expected to run the course of over 10-15 chapters, so if you were just expecting a one-shot, simplistic little lemon in the guise of Sonic and Amy in the bedroom, you're going to be sorely disappointed._

_We're not trying to write a book in terms of length, but we're not trying to bullshit our way through a well thought out plot either. There are some writers out there who could probably pull off a fantastic story with little to no detail, character development and motivation, and other factors that make a story a good story. But we're not them, and we're taking our time to make it a feasible story._

_On top of that, we're enjoying this in the process, so, if you didn't understand it before, I'll repeat it again:_

_The story is not going to end with this chapter. Period._

_However, I will admit that Sonamy enthusiasts will probably enjoy this chapter overall._

_Also, I would like to apologize for the two month gap in the update. Things have been getting pretty hectic for me personally, so this was a bit brushed to the side._

_And finally, we would like to thank both those who reviewed this story on both FF/AFF. __It means a great deal to the both of us that you're enjoying this story, along with the time and effort put in to tell it._

_(Sonic's POV)_

_A few minutes earlier:_

_Splash!_ I jump back a bit as a passing vehicle causes a massive puddle to catch me, drenching me from head to toe. I'd try and shake it off, but with the intensity of the sudden downpour, there's no point to it. I slowly re-settle myself in my hiding spot besides a parked car, parallel to the café that Amy usually frequents on her afternoon stroll. She's currently inside, probably sipping a cup of her favorite tea over a good book.

But from the looks of it, it seems like she's talking with Shadow at the moment, which isn't uncommon nowadays. They are pretty good friends…

I guess you could say that what I've been doing for the past week and a half could be considered obsessive.

Or a little creepy. Or just plain wrong.

But I think I'll settle with 'sincere concern' to best describe it, because what else would you call following someone around _without_ their knowledge or consent?

That's right. I've been sort of keeping 'tabs' on Amy, if you will. Well, that's when I have a good bit of leisure time anyway. Eggman takes up the rest of it…

I guess it's not so wrong – I'm not going about driving her crazy with phone calls and unexpected (and most likely, unwanted) visits. I'm giving her space, and lots of it for that matter. Amy's temper is explosive at times, so space is always a good thing.

Especially given the reason behind our fight at the hospital. I doubt she'd want to give me the time of day after I basically gave off the impression that she was a whore, which isn't the case.

I was her first. She always wanted me to be her first, and overall, the only one. She was also my first, so I know exactly what type of person she is. Makes me wish I could take it all back, but what's said and done is over with.

_The only thing I can do now is try to make it right, and hope for the best…_

And how will I go about making things right?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I have that absolutely figured out. But I believe I have a general idea – an apology followed with me stating my feelings. Two things of which, aren't common to hear from me, particularly the latter.

_But I guess there's no harm in giving it a try, right?_

I come back from my thoughts as I notice that Amy has risen from the table and exited the café, with a more notable and pleasant change to her features. She seems a little bit happier than she has been the past few days, smiling even though the rain was starting to soak her from head to toe. That would rule in my favor – Amy in a serene mood makes trying to say what I have to say a whole lot easier…though not by much.

She must have been in a really good mood, because I think she got a little absent minded and forgot something, as I notice Shadow running after her with some bags.

That makes sense; that girl is prone to forgetting someone or something whenever she's in one of those blissful trances.

_Yet I don't think I was prepared for what happened next._

She trips, on one particular spot of the sidewalk that's cracked, almost certain to a full drenching amidst all the rain. Then in one swift action, Shadow has her in his grasp – he's holding her by the waist while she's flung her arms around his neck for support.

One second passes.

Then five.

Then sixty.

Now they've been like that for at least 2 minutes.

_It doesn't take that long for someone to regain their footing…_

The longer I look at them, the more I start to piece together things that had either come from observation or from Amy's account.

They enjoy each other's company, **_solely _**in the other's company.

She often recounted to me how Shadow thought a relationship between the two of us would never come to terms, along with him continuously encouraging her to seek out someone 'better' for mutual affection.

She's mentioned one time (rather openly) that she had been tinkering with the prospect of going out with him before we got together. Apparently, he had asked her out on at least one occasion, but was reluctant to accept out of respect for her feelings towards me…

_Now it looks like she might have accepted his offer._

I need to get my head out of the clouds here. Maybe it's not what it looks like at the moment. The whole thing with Rouge wasn't what it was, so that's probably the case here too, right?

Yet, at the same time, it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. Would serve me right – sometimes I think to myself that she could have found someone who appreciated her sooner rather than waiting so long to hear me reciprocate her feelings. Wasted so much of her time being inconsiderate to her whether I purposely intended to or not.

And if not me, she can _definitely_ do better than Mr. Smiley over there. I peg him as the type of guy who probably could benefit from someone with her qualities, but get bent out of shape if they did something to lose his trust.

He sort of has 'anger' issues that he hasn't fully resolved.

He also stole that move and pose – _I pulled that with Amy on our first 'outing' together after that night…_

_We were sitting in that same café together, trying to decide on a place to visit for that day. I would've been content with calling it a 'hang out session', but she got me into thinking of it as more of an informal first date…_

_We never could decide on a single place that we both liked, so we made a compromise: We'd both pick out our favorite spot and spend 3 hours at each place to make it fair._

"_We get to enjoy what we like and also try something new at the same time", she said._

_Could have been the opposite effect for me, considering she got to choose where we went first. She wanted to spend her time giving Twinkle Park another try, as the last visit we made there resulted in her being captured by one of Eggman's goons._

_Well, I'll say it was okay. Not fantastic, yet decent. The so-called speed they boasted of for their roller coasters is just about the same as me speeding on ONE leg. _

_Afterwards it was my turn, and I took her to this spot that I like to go to alone. This really tranquil spot situated within the Mystic Ruins - a vivid green enclosure covered with a grass that had a wonderful aroma. Flowers of nearly every variety, including those that you most certainly wouldn't find in a florist's shop. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe the place, which up until then, I hadn't told anyone else about. Not even Tails._

_She must have felt what I feel every time I come there to relax, as her mood went from excited happiness to calm and serene. I allowed her to rest her head on my right shoulder as we both sat down on the grass, taking in the serene sights and sounds of nature surrounding us. _

_It was perfect, and we probably could have stayed like that for hours if I hadn't gotten 'playful'._

"I thought you detested water", she says._ She's pointing to the spring in the middle of the area, with a teasing tone entwined within her voice._

"I do, but I have my limits", I replied_. I stood up and walked over to it, removing my shoes before emerging myself within the steaming waters and sitting down. _"But then again, it's one of those things where a love/hate relationship isn't so bad"._ As she comes closer to see me, I take a breath and submerge myself within the spring, knowing full well that she would worry and fret._

_Sure enough, she comes close enough to the spring's entrance for me to reach out and drag her underneath with me. She wasn't too happy about it, as she let out a loud yelp as I did so, jumping back up for air. As I come back up to pat her back and apologize, she pushes me back into the water, a bit roughly._

"_Here's a taste of your own medicine!" she screams, before finally breaking down into laughter as a water fight ensues between the both of us afterwards…_

That's it. I got to say what I have to say, because I might not get another shot at it…

And here I am now, standing before the two of them, arms crossed while idly tapping a foot as if to ask "What's going on?" without the use of words. The both of them stay in that close position before he finally remembers that she can stand on her own two feet. She looks away from him while he's doing the same to her as she stands up, both blushing slightly in the process.

_That ass was enjoying every second of that, which doesn't sit too well with me. He even has a smug little smirk on his face as proof. Not his regular smug, but smug all the same. _

_And I don't like it._

"Like what you see?" I ask him, temporarily letting my jealously get the better of me.

"What?" he asks back. From what I can tell, he's more shocked about the inquiry than insulted by it. Seeing that he's bothered, I continue:

"Well, you better enjoy it while it lasts. That's going to be the first and last time you **_ever_** get to hold her like that".

He frowns. A little mental victory for my ego – he's irate.

But, I think I can say that my ego immediately deflated itself the moment I realized that Amy had picked up her bags and was turning in the opposite direction to leave.

_Not good._

In panic, I took a few steps forward to grab her left arm, immediately apologizing for what I had said to Shadow seconds before_. If she left, I knew I had single-handedly fucked up a chance to make things right, and just because I felt like feeding my ego._

She maneuvers outside of my grip and turns to leave again. "Just…forget about it", she mumbles._ Not good. Amy normally doesn't hold grudges, but WOW – when she wants to, she **wants** to. Halfheartedly trying to pick a fight with Shadow over her wasn't the brightest thing to do._

It almost seemed like I wouldn't get another opportunity for weeks if Mr. Smiley himself hadn't stepped in. I don't know how he did it, but the look he gave Amy stopped her dead in her tracks, and caused her to gradually turn to face me.

Shocked, I shot a quick glance over to him before returning my gaze back to her, with an eyebrow cocked the entire time. Silence ensues. The both of us would have stood there speechless. But apparently, Shadow had had enough of it.

"Cut the bullshit and just TALK!" he yells. He glides back a few steps towards the café to take a seat at one of the outside tables, his eyes not once wondering away from either of us.

_Guess we both wore his patience thin. But at least he gave me another opportunity. Better set out to make the best of it._

I once again make facial contact with her, taking a brief moment to gaze deep within her emerald eyes. While normally clear and beautiful, they bare signs of worry, fear, and fatigue. Things of which, to be blunt, I unintentionally caused her without the slightest thought. Providing comfort usually works as a remedy, but at the moment, I prefer not to hastily overstep the invisible boundaries that these negative feelings have created.

"Amy?" I ask softly. I take a step to stand closer to her. She doesn't seem too upset by the immediate proximity. I call her name once more as I take a final step forward, gently resting my hands on her shoulders. She slightly flinches at my touch, but gradually becomes accustomed to it.

A pause follows before she finally responds.

"I'm sorry about the other night. She says. I shake my head to her, insisting that she shouldn't. But she continues: "Rouge came after you left and 'apologized' for what happened. Just…forget about it, okay?"

_She apologized. Not necessarily warranted, given the way I've been acting…_

I take a chance and raise my right hand to gently cup her left cheek, which causes a slight blush to overtake her features. I inwardly bite my lower lip as I nervously (though rather smoothly) move my thumb to rest and hold her lips together. She doesn't have to say anymore to me about that matter.

"Don't apologize", I tell her softly. She almost appears to want to argue why, but I gently brush my thumb over her lovely lower lip. "If anyone has to apologize here, it's going to be **_me_**.", I state. Chuckling, I add in, "For so many things, I can't even begin to count them all."

_She smiles. Not as great as her normal one, but a smile all the same. The first I've seen out of her in a good bit. This makes this a bit easier…_

"First off, I'm sorry for all the shit that went down that night. I knew about Rouge's…err…_reputation_, but I was a bit stumped for someone to talk about female things." I briefly raise my left hand up as if to take an oath. "I swear, I wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I was so worried about you, it didn't matter to me."

She lifts her left hand to gently brush away my hand. "You were actually _worried _about me?" she inquires. A sarcastic tone in her voice laced with a hint of curiosity. "Mr. 'No Worries' was worried about me?"

At this point, the downpour had only gotten heavier since we started talking, and her grocery bags were now getting soaked to the hilt. She frowns, and reaches down to pick them up. "We should talk about this another time when my groceries aren't going to drown." Very gently, she moves out of my reach and begins to make her way home.

_Better cut to the chase._

I gently take hold of her shoulders once more, as I moisten my lower lip in preparation of what I hoped to say next.

_Okay. I'm ready._

_Wait, no I'm not._

_Yes, I am._

_Not really._

_JUST DO IT ALREADY! _The inner voice inside of me has now finally had enough of this bullshit too.

_Well…here it goes._

Deep breath. Slow exhale.

"Let me just get straight to it, Amy" I finally manage to say.

By this point, my palms are beginning to sweat, yet I manage to continue on:

"I wouldn't take back anything that happened that night. If things didn't happen in the manner that they did, I probably wouldn't have gotten why things are this way between us right now. I didn't know I was hurting you, but regardless, I'm sorry for it all the same.

Hell, if not for that night, I probably might have still been denying something that I've known in my heart for quite some time now."

She once again moves out of my reach and begins to walk away.

_It's now, or never._

"I love you."

_She stops. Followed by an uncomfortable, lingering silence. I don't know what else to say at this point – I think I've said what needed to be said already. And it doesn't look like it brought about the reconciliation that I was hoping for…_

With each second of silence, a feeling of dejection slowly began to pinch at my chest. I lower my head and close my eyes, still hoping that something good would come from it. But with each additional second of silence, the hope and resolve began to chip away bit by bit. This is also accompanied with an urge that was practically pleading for me to take off and run.

I'm nearly compelled to give in to it when my ears perk up to the sounds of weeping and several items splashing down in the rain. I look up to realize that Amy is the source of the noise, and she's barely able to hold back her tears at this point. Some items from the now discarded bags are scattered about around her, though she appears to be temporarily unconcerned about them.

"Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that to me?" she weeps. She takes a step forward, and then frowns, before breaking down into full blown tears. She tries to tell me something in between sobs, but I've already rushed over to wrap my arms around her.

"You don't have to tell me how you feel, Amy' I whisper. I gently kiss and nuzzle her forehead. "You've said it plenty of times before."

And in a flash, we both end up in a puddle, soaked from head to toe in a comforting and forgiving embrace.

_Under normal circumstances, I'd prefer to change the setting. But right now, I wouldn't change this for anything…_

_(Shadow's POV)_

_Ack! _I'm involuntarily caught in the mist of a splashback that those two had created. I wipe the excess away from my face before focusing my attention on them once more.

After all the bullshitting that went on moments before, she was able to stand still while the faker finally grew some balls and told her how he felt.

Good. Now that's no longer an answerless inquiry.

But, she didn't come clean with what she had to tell him either.

_I can't wait to see the look on his face when she comes clean about their kid._

_And that's the end of this chapter folks! Sorry it took so long to get done. Besides my workload in real life, I was really trying to not get any of the characters, particularly Sonic too out of character. I didn't want him to sound too macho or too touchy feely, and I think this was a good enough balance to keep in the end._

_Stay tuned for the next two chapters, which show Amy and Sonic getting into the more intimate and physical part of their reconciliation._

_Also, for those of you who enjoyed Shadow and Rouge in this and previous chapters, this won't be the last you see of them. They'll be featured in other chapters alongside either Sonic or Amy. We'll also be introducing some of the other characters (Tails, Cream, Knuckles, etc.) a few chapters from now, so keep a look out._

_And as always, review!_


	7. Romantic Shower for Two

_**Author's Note:** Well, here we are with the next chapter. Don't necessarily have anything too important to say other than this chapter and the next one have a more mature tone to them._

_That's right folks, two back to back lemon chapters for your enjoyment. Sonamy lemony goodness._

_Also, just a note to some viewers: AFF (or Adult Fan fiction) is back up and running, including the function of posting new chapters to existing stories. However, they haven't moved the database upon which the first 5 chapters of this story are located, so until they do, I'll only be posting this story here (and maybe on Mediaminer) until the move is completed._

_And now, here's the rest of the story. Enjoy._

_(Amy's POV)_

_Thought it'd be nice to take a shower and have a bubble bath before I changed into my nightgown. I turn the hot water faucet to the on position, watching it run freely as it heated up. The water heater in the building is a bit outdated, so you have to allow the water to run a good 2-3 minutes before you get a good steam going. Otherwise, you might be greeted with quite a bit of a shock when ice cold water hits you when you're eagerly anticipating the opposite._

_While waiting, I quickly slip out of my favorite red boots while removing and discarding the red sundress and white undergarments I had been wearing. In one swift motion, I wrap them up into a ball and throw it into the hamper nearby as I wrap myself up in a towel while gathering up my favorite shampoo and other bath and body supplies – a loofah, a bath pillow, rose scented bubble bath and bath salt, and a few aromatic candles and matches for afterwards._

_It might seem like it's too much detail for an evening shower or bath, but it's one of my favorite things to do. A girl can get a lot of thinking done in a tub full of her favorite scented soaps and gels…_

The water is steaming hot by now, as the bathroom has been engulfed by a cloud of rising steam. While turning the faucet down to find a temperature that's suitable to my liking, my mind wanders back to those three words that I almost never expected to here from his lips:

"_I love you."_

So unexpected, yet simple, but that's what you'd come to expect out of Sonic. He likes to get you when you're not expecting it at all, which is what he did to me this afternoon. There I was, with a somewhat renewed resolve to hurry home and leave a message for him so that we could meet up and let him in on the 'good news'. Then he appears out of thin air to nearly start a fight with Shadow over what he believed to be a threat over my affections towards him.

_That alone brought an inward smile, even though I feel a bit guilty for having it. The thought of him being even the slightest bit jealous or worried over losing me almost makes me elated. I don't want to gloat, but at the same time, I already am._

_Plus, it was funny that he thought something was going on between Shadow and me. We both have had somewhat of a mutual interest in each other at one point or another, but it's not quite on the level that I would share with Sonic. I love Shadow, but primarily in a platonic way…_

I remove my headband as I gather a bit of shampoo to lather up in my hands. As I easily achieve and maintain a rich, sudsy lather in my quills, my mind wanders further back to the situation at hand.

_The baby._

Still haven't told him yet. But could you blame me? He shocked the daylights out of me by finally coming out and telling me exactly how he feels…

I doubt that's any excuse for not telling him though. He deserves to know, and should have known the moment I found out, which is counting now for nearly 4 weeks, and I'm about 3 months along.

_If I keep it to myself any longer, I'm afraid my swelling belly is going to make it too obvious._

I move my right hand down towards my abdomen protectively. It might already be somewhat obvious by now; some of my clothes are beginning to fit improperly, as well as an increase in the firmness just below my navel.

_And I could have sworn I saw a bit of a bulge when I was getting into the shower a few moments earlier…_

I would have wondered more about the inevitability of my showing belly when the shower door was opened. Startled, I quickly wipe away the excess shampoo that had run down my face as I turned to face Sonic. A bit bashfully, I try to cover my naked form with only my hands, but eventually give up.

"You mind if I shower with you?" he inquires, with an innocent hint in his voice. He apparently just wants to clean up after being drenched in the rainstorm that's still going on.

I nod my consent, to which he quickly kicks off his shoes and gloves, carefully stepping beside me to catch the full stream of warm water. I close my eyes as I rinse out the rest of the shampoo to condition my quills when I feel one of his bare hands running down my lower back. I carefully open my eyes and wipe away the excess water and shampoo residue to find him staring back at me, with the previous innocence having faded away to something that was all too familiar…

_He was horny. Or at least, he looked the part. A quick glance would reveal that there was definitely some action going down in between his legs too._

"I was just…um…_admiring_ your curves", he says after a moment of silence. I take a quick look to my abdomen before shooting him a look that causes him to stop massaging my back and move off a bit to the side of the shower_. Can't help but giggle a bit though – looks like he's been missing me in that way just as much as I've been missing him in the same respect…_

_But wait a minute…admiring my curves? Is he noticing what I think he's noticing?_

"Curves?" I ask curiously.

"Yup", he says, breaking into one of his signature smirks. "It just proves that you've been eating again. Was a bit worried after the whole hospital thing where I found out that you hadn't been nourished properly."

_He's right to be worried – the nausea was preventing me from keeping anything I ate down for more than an hour or so at most. But it's been subsiding as of late, and I've been eating heartier, larger portions. Surprised I haven't completely blown up at the rate I've been eating, but then again, this is a baby I'm carrying around…_

But outwardly, I give a different reaction. Mockingly, I ask if that's his way of saying I'm getting fat. He shakes his head, and once again resumes massaging my back.

"I think they make you sexier", he states. "Kind of adding more to what you already got."

"Is that so?" I ask him, with a small smile forming on my face.

"Yup. Gives me more to hug", with which he swiftly pulls me into an embrace from behind. Leaning back into it, I'm also greeted by something poking my lower back.

_He's definitely horny. I'd like to think it's the hot water, but something tells me it's more than that._

He gently tightens his embrace, leaning forward to nuzzle and kiss the nape of my neck, which is starting to make me weak at the knees, a sign that I'm having trouble resisting his advances.

_I want him._

But what about the baby?

Sara told me something pretty relieving that night I ended up in the hospital:

_I had asked her about a variety of things concerning being pregnant, and I guess I was comfortable enough around her to just offshoot to questions concerning sex and pregnancy._

"_Sex doesn't hurt the baby, right?" I had asked. To which, she lets out a giggle while shaking her head as a reply._

"_That old wives' tale to explain genetic disorders?" she starts. "They used that as an explanation for anything that went wrong during or after pregnancy, from everything anything like stillbirth to diseases. Something about the force of the father's sexual organ repeatedly knocking the sense out of the head of the unborn."_

_She notices that I'm still a bit easy with that explanation, so she continues:_

"_There's absolutely nothing to worry about, Amy. Sex during a pregnancy is usually safe in most cases, unless otherwise stated by your attending obstetrician._

_In most of my patients, I'm all for it unless they're on bed rest, which requires that the birth canal see as little disturbance as possible, as sperm actually contains a chemical that actually could induce labor._

_Which is why, I highly advise against sexual activity during the last few weeks of a pregnancy."_

That was a sigh of relief to me. All that 'activity' that Sonic and I had engaged hadn't resulted in harming the baby.

"_That's good to know", I say softly. But she's not finished yet._

"_Besides, why miss out on sex during your pregnancy?" she adds in. "It's one of the absolute best times to have sex – heightened sensitivity of the sexual opening adds for a better climax._

_Plus, once the morning sickness subsides, you'll definitely have more energy, along with the fact that you can't get pregnant **while** pregnant."_

The last fact is a bonus. I don't need to be pregnant three times over when I finally get around to telling him. But given what she told me, I think it gives me a bit of an incentive.

_But…it might be fun to tease him a bit._

I slowly turn around in his arms, easily becoming entrapped within his emerald gaze, as a familiar sense of security creeps over my features. I don't think I can describe it too well, except for a warm fuzzy feeling that I get when I know that he hasn't let me down – from saving the day or coming to my rescue…

And now, even in matters of the heart such as love.

It only takes one look into his eyes to make me feel better.

_So even if I'm unsure about the future, one thing is for certain:_

_Everything is going to turn out alright._

I suddenly realize that he's holding me closer, with a look of concern having etched itself upon his brow and features. He loosens his embrace, until the only connection we're making is eye to eye.

"You seem a bit uncomfortable. Do you want me to stop?" he asks.

_Why stop? We were only getting started!_

I slightly tilt my head over to the side, as if deep in thought over his inquiry, if only for a few seconds. But that didn't stop him from going on:

"I guess we should maybe try to finish this shower without any more funny business…"

He's taken by surprise as I've locked my lips with his. A sensual, yet tender kiss that leaves the both of us longing for more as it eventually is broken.

"Are you sure?" He asks again, with the initial lust in his eyes returning once more.

His eyes, while still welcoming and secure, are almost pleading with me to give him the same sense of security that he has instilled within me.

"I…just don't want you to feel awkward about anything that we do, or that you have to do it because you think it makes me happy.

I…want to make you happy for a change."

_He wants to make me happy?_

I've pulled him in for another passionate kiss, this one being much deeper than the first as our tongues lash and tangle against each other in an antagonistic fashion. He's winning, but I gently withdraw, gently nibbling on his lower lip before I finally break off.

Trailing down his neck with kisses, I eventually rest and nuzzle at his chest, taking a moment to enjoy the smell of his wet body before I gaze into his warm eyes once more.

"I want this", I tell him. "I thought you already learnt today that it doesn't take much to make me happy…only the small things that count.

Hearing those special words from you has me set for the rest of my life."

No more words were said from this point, only actions fueled by love and passion. He gently pushed me back against one of the shower walls while greedily taking kisses from my lips that he hadn't seen in recent weeks. I firmly wrapped my arms around his neck as his nimble fingers caressed my wet form in all the right places.

_But of course, I wanted to have some fun with him after all, right?_

I carefully shift my weight, gently easing the both of us down onto the shower floor with the stream of water engulfing us. I'm the one with dominance, and take advantage by pinning him down and straddling his chest and positioning myself by his erection.

He has a flabbergasted expression in the mist of my sudden show of strength, but I largely ignore it while trailing my tongue from the tip of his chin to the center of his chest. A hand freely trails down to his shaft, while the other is used to steady myself as I continue my treatment of his chest by playfully nipping one of his nipples.

_He's right where I want him now. Moaning and begging for me to take him over the edge. _

_It would seem as though I've had experience with being the 'lead', but I really haven't. He's usually been in control for the most part. Not that it's not something I want or enjoy, but concerning some intimate activities such as fellatio, I rather knock him out of his comfort zone for a bit._

_Rouge (when we were still on friendly talking terms) told me that there are two things that drive a guy crazy during sex:_

_Turning the tables on them and being dominant and performing fellatio. I'm still a bit uneasy about the latter, particularly due to the taste, before, during, and after the deed is done. But I'll hand it to her when she said that it easily is one of the few sexual acts besides intercourse that can drive a guy over the edge._

_As for turning the tables, I think it was working wonders until what happened next._

He had rolled over and was now pinning me against the shower floor, while paying particular attention to my lower region. It looked as though he was going to make his entrance right then and there.

_But oddly enough, his entrance wasn't of the usual sort._

He carefully kissed a trail down my abdomen before pausing at my entrance. Then, ever so gently, I felt a sensation the likes of which I don't believe I've ever felt in that area.

Out of curiosity, I tried to lift myself up a bit to catch a glimpse of what he was doing, but was held down by one of his firm, yet gentle hands.

"Don't worry Ames" He said, while briefly perking his head up from his 'task'. "I'm just…trying something different. I think you might like it".

I would have responded, but that pleasurable feeling had returned with more force.

_Needless to say, he was once again the dominant one, but at this point, I didn't mind – he was pleasuring ME for a change. _

_Rouge told me that cunnilingus (the female equivalent of fellatio) is wonderful, but I think she might have spoken too highly of it._

_It's okay, but I think I still prefer the rush that I can only get by being connected with him. _

_Plus, I think given the fact that this is the first time that we've tried this, it's not going to get to the level of enjoyment that she was raving on about until we've tried it out some more._

_And I **will**_ _want to do this again…_

Growing a bit impatient, I ask him to stop. I stand up, a bit uneasily at first to turn off both the hot and cold water faucets and proceed to dry myself off with the nearby towel.

As I'm drying the quills on my head, I take a look back at him. He's scratching his head, a bit confused by what just happened.

"I wasn't doing it right?" he asks, a bit concerned.

"It wasn't that" I responded. "The running water was killing the friction. And in your case, that's something that we're going to need a lot of…"

My voice trails off as I throw him the extra towel in the bathroom, while suggestively signaling for him to follow me into the bedroom.

_Of course, the both of us won't be very dry for long._

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. I wanted to try and make it longer, (i.e. more description of what they were doing), but I think I'll leave that for at least one future chapter. _

_It seemed like one of those times where it was better to give just enough so that it was left up to the viewer's imagination, yet was not vague enough to leave one guessing completely._

_Stay tuned for the next chapter, where Sonic and Amy's secret relationship is finally revealed (in a rather awkward moment) to Tails and Cream._

_And as always, please review! We both enjoy reading and listening to your thoughts and insights to how the story has read thus far._


	8. The Secret Is Out

_**Author's Note:** Here we are with yet another chapter of the story. Tails and Cream are both in this one, so enjoy the change of pace._

_Also, for those of you who forgot the ages of the characters, they are all 7 years older from their videogame counterparts:_

_Amy – 19_

_Sonic- 22_

_Knuckles – 23_

_Rouge – 25_

_Cream – 13_

_Tails – 15_

_Shadow - ?_

_So for those of you who jumped into this story thinking this was a story of unplanned teenage pregnancy, you're sorely mistaken. For the most part, everyone in this story is a young adult who is out on their own (save Cream)._

_Also, I would like to take the time to thank everyone for waiting so patiently for this story to be updated. I know that it's a pain in the neck to wait for the latest installment and all, but things do come up in life. And in my case, it's mainly work. Especially at the moment as things have gone undone in the store and inventory time is coming. Then, there's also the point of checking in with Kawaii Sonikku who is also a co-author to this. And as we aren't on at the same times as much these days, that takes a bit as well._

_Well, that's that. On with the story!_

_(Sonic's POV)_

_Beep_. I chance a quick glance at my wristwatch and realize it's already 12:05 p.m. Instinctively, I increase my speed to make up for lost time.I'm already 5 minutes late, but Tails should understand – things come up, especially where I'm concerned.

He's invited a bunch of us over to his workshop for a peek at the latest modifications he's made on the Tornado 2. And by a bunch, I'm referring to the group that usually shows up:

_Cream, along with Cheese sometimes these days._

_Amy._

_Shadow, if he feels like dropping in._

_And myself._

Knuckles is usually too self absorbed in guarding the Master Emerald/Angel Island or dealing with Rouge's latest infidelity to bother to come. And well, Rouge is already sort of self-exclamatory – I think the only time she actually showed a bit of interest was when Tails had expanded the passenger space behind the pilot.

_Something about always wanting to join the 'mile-high' club…_

Before I realize it, I'm already at the front door to his workshop in Mystic Ruins. In one swift action, I've already opened the front door and stepped inside, as it's an unspoken fact that I have an open invitation at any time.

_Definitely take advantage of that more these days – Tails has seen fit to renovate the place to the point of having everything he could possibly need, especially the kitchen and bedrooms._

The kitchen. By now, I'm standing all by myself inside of the kitchen and realize that they all must be over in the workshop looking his work over. A little rumble instinctively escapes from my stomach, with which, I stroll on over to the refrigerator to make myself a snack.

Or at least, grab a soft drink. I think I've kept them waiting long enough.

As I'm about to enter the workshop, my right ear perks up to catch the sound of a toilet flushing in the distance. Not thinking much of it, I continue on to my intended destination to find only Tails and Cream.

Tails instantly stops whatever he was doing to come over and greet me. "Sonic!" he yells, before giving me a brotherly hug and tackle. He's grown quite a bit in the past couple of years, even to the point where he's looking to be taller than myself.

_Still can't believe that this was the same little guy who used to tag along with me everywhere back in the day. _

But now, he can definitely hold his own. If I'm not around to keep Eggman in check, he's right there to kick some serious ass – not only technologically, but physically too. Knuckles gave him a crash course in martial arts about 2 years ago, and he's been teaching himself ever since.

_I'm still surprised that he's managed to rough me up in some of our friendly sparring matches…_

After he helped me back up on my feet, I'm once again tackled to the floor by Cream, who has taken on a more matured appearance since the last time I saw her. She hasn't gone on a lot of our adventures in recent years because Vanilla thought it would be best if she concentrated more on schoolwork and other activities.

Ballet, piano, you name it, and Cream could probably do it with ease.

Upon further notice, I realize that she's in her school uniform – high school uniform to be exact. Even though she's only 12, she's actually started her first year.

This time, she's the one helping me to my feet, but also dusting me off.

"I'm sorry if I got a bit carried away, Mr. Sonic." she says politely. "It's just so good to see you since last we met."

"It's only been 2 years, Cream," I tell her, before adding for the millionth time in the period that we've known each other that she doesn't have to be so…_formal._ She's always had wonderful manners to the point of being a perfect stranger amongst friends.

I take a moment to ask her how her mother and Cheese are doing, to which she informs me that both are doing fine, especially the latter. Apparently Cheese had once again been reincarnated into its egg form, and she was eagerly awaiting it to hatch into her old companion.

Looking around, I realize that Amy is no where in sight. I would have vocalized the thought to Tails and Cream, but I don't want to seem too eager for her arrival – I don't believe either of them is truly aware of the extent our relationship has taken in recent months.

I don't have to ponder over the matter much longer as Amy steps out into the workshop from the house. Upon further inspection, she's wearing a white and gold trimmed sundress similar to the red one she used to don regularly. Only key difference would be the lack of frilly pouf undergarments she wore that gave the hem of her dress that certain lift and shape... She's also showing off a nice pair of white and gold running shoes on her feet

She looked wonderful, but even so, something didn't look rightHer face was a bit flushed and pale, and her eyes looked a bit watery, as if she had been crying. There was also the fact that she was covering her mouth in a rather futile attempt at holding back several coughs that eventually escaped.

A moment of silence passes before Tails speaks up. "Are you going to be alright, Amy?" he asks. Cream rushes over to her and pats her on the back. "Yeah, Amy", she chimes in, "Are you sure that you'll be okay? We heard about you fainting at that restaurant and Sonic rushing to the hospital. It gave Momma and me a real scare."

She nods and straightens her posture a bit in between coughs. "I suppose", she finally manages to say. "I guess that take-out I had last night wasn't agreeing with me. It also managed to give me a headache as well."

"You want anything for that?" Tails inquires. He points to a first aid kit on the workbench nearby. "There's some aspirin in there if you think it'll help."

"No thanks", she said, while shaking her head in response. "Aspirin doesn't help much these days…lying down works wonders better than anything.

I hope you don't mind if I borrow your bed for a bit?"

"You know that you're welcome to make yourself comfortable whenever you're here, Amy", Tails waves as she prepares to step inside. "Just hope you feel better, alright?"

"Alright. See you in a bit then."

_Hmm. She's been getting headaches a lot more lately. I've also told her to get checked out by a doctor on more than one occasion. Then there was that fainting episode that led to the recent hospital visit…_

Tails decides to continue on with the upgrades presentation without her – which included a new engine he designed himself along with the installation of a sonar navigation system that he sort of 'borrowed' from Eggman. Pretty interesting stuff all in all, though I couldn't pay full attention to everything – the image of Amy possibly ill and unwell was taking up most of it.

"Sonic?"

_I must have zoned out for a moment._

"Sonic?" both said by Tails and Cream in unison.

I come to my senses and realize that the presentation is over. Being someone of very few words, I was only able to produce "huh?" as my reply. It took a couple of seconds before I noticed that they both were seated in the Tornado 2.

"I'm going to take this baby for a test drive with the new engine", he said. "Have it calculated that the projected speed could reach mach 2 in 0-5 seconds."

"And I'm going along for the ride!" shrieked Cream, failing her arms in sheer excitement.

_One minute she has the mannerisms of a princess, the next she sounds like a typical teenager. Should be quite interesting with her in the coming years…_

With that, I wish the both of them good luck and watch as the Tornado 2 rolls off the runway and into the crisp afternoon sky, before near vanishing in the blink of an eye.

_Damn. He wasn't playing. But then again, Tails' calculations are pretty much near perfect._

With those two gone for awhile, I decided to go and check in on Amy's condition. In an instant, I dashed into the workshop's living quarters, upstairs to the bedrooms. Tails has one set aside for himself, but he also has two spare ones in case some of us wanted to stay the night. Quickly peeked inside the spare rooms first before heading over to his own, only to find her sound asleep on top of his bed.

She had obviously made herself comfortable; her running shoes were arranged quite neatly to the left side of the bed, and she was using a nearby blanket as a cover. There were also a few used facial tissues scattered about next to her.

_I'm more than concerned now – this has been going on for weeks. Fluctuating headaches, stomach troubles, lack of appetite…none of which can ever be a good thing._

_This has me worried because in all the time that I've known her, Amy has rarely ever been 'sick'. The only person I know who stresses the importance of exercise and eating a well balanced diet, and here she is with what seems to be walking pneumonia._

I tip toed over by her side, to gently rouse her from slumber. Her piercing emerald eyes were the first thing to greet me, followed with a simple salutation and a small hug.

As if I was her parent and she was my child, I placed the back of my right hand to feel the temperature on her forehead. I let out a smile, as she doesn't feel too warm, but she is all the same.

"You had me a bit worried out there", I finally manage to say after a brief pause. "Haven't you been feeling off par like this for a bit?"

She gives a simple nod in reply.

"I thought it was just a cold I could fight off with rest", she finally admits. Noticing the mess of tissues, she sees fit to begin gathering them up and disposing of them in a waste receptacle nearby. "Besides, I think it's almost out of my system."

"Well, if you say so", I state, with a bit of a frown. "But, it would actually put me at ease if you did go and get yourself checked out properly." I take her sweet face in my hands, making eye to eye contact with her. "Just please…do me that favor, alright?"

She gives a simple 'okay' after I also insist that she fill me in on the details. And as far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough to make me happy at the moment.

_Or at least, I thought that was enough._

And that's when _it_ happens – a session of spontaneous lovemaking. I initially thought that we were just going to lie back for a few minutes and cuddle before Tails finished his test flight, but I guess we were both thinking the same thing. She's already lying down, flat on her back, giving me an unspoken invitation. Moments later, I'm right on top, kissing and caressing her in a cloud of rising passion.

We had no need to undress – I'm already naked and nearly erect, so I kick off my shoes in one swift motion while I'm fumbling around with her panties. As I'm having a bit of trouble with those, I shift my view towards her abdomen as I slightly lift up her skirt, smirking as they come into full view.

_Blue. My favorite color. _

Nonchalantly toss them over my shoulder, as we won't need them for a little bit.

I look back up to her for the signal to go ahead, but not before pulling myself in for a sweet and tender kiss. As I close my eyes and moan into it, I can feel her gently caressing my abdomen, with a finger trailing down to my lower area.

She stops there for a moment before wrapping the rest of those warm, gentle fingers around my penis, one by one. A gasp manages to escape from my lips as her grip gradually tightens, working its way into a slow yet steady pace against my shaft.

The warmth of her hand and the massaging sensation in unison were enough to make me go over the edge, but I manage to keep it in check. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, I gently wrap her legs around my waist as I place myself inside of her.

From that point on, our motions and sounds are one. Her moans are in time to my groans. My torso rapidly thrusting in unison with the gyration of her hips and tightening of her legs.

_We're in perfect motion with one another until…_

**_THUMP!_** We're both on the floor. With all the movement, we apparently swayed far enough to the point were we both went over the right side of Tails' bed.

_Taking a second look at our surroundings, a feeling of shame begins to sink in. We're in Tails' room, having sex on his bed as if it were our own place._

"_Maybe we should stop", I tell her, with a worried look on my face._

_She doesn't even hear me, as she's too close to her peak to hear me, gradually tightening up around me to the point where that one thought towards Tails was soon a fleeting memory…_

_(Tails' P.O.V.)_

The test flight went well, though the engine began to smoke soon after landing. I jump out of the plane and motion for Cream to fetch the open toolbox lying on the workbench nearby. Pick out a magnifying glass and a pair of needle nose pliers from it before opening up the engine compartment, only to find that the smoking was only caused from a circuitry miscalculation on my part, as well as the lack of proper ventilation.

I shake my head and mumble something about stupidity so that Cream won't hear. She doesn't approve of me putting myself down about my work. "Tails, Mr. Sonic and the others really appreciate your genius", she usually says.

That's the reason why I invest so much time into fixing this classic – it's one of the many things that the gang relies on. If Egghead ever tried something and we couldn't get to it by land, the Tornado 2 is up and ready for some action.

But we've had things go wrong before, like when the original Tornado was unsalvageable after the first fight with the Egg Carrier all those years ago. Felt pretty bad after the whole thing too – the first Tornado _was _Sonic's plane, and he entrusted it to my care.

_And what happens? It gets totaled…_

That's the reason behind the test run – to iron out any potentially dangerous bugs with these new upgrades. Want to make it so that I can give it my all when we're up in the face of danger.

As more smoke and exhaust rises after I opened the compartment, I decide that it's best to just wait for it to cool down before making any modifications. I invite Cream to come into the house for a bit of a snack, to which she was nice enough to help me lay out the necessary tools before we both went in.

As we're in the kitchen, she's making the both of us a couple of sandwiches, and asks if she should make a few extra for Sonic and Amy. Seeing as how Amy is upstairs resting, and Sonic could still drop in again, I say yes, while filling a bottle with tap water in case the Tornado's radiator needed a refilling.

While she's finishing up, I decide to head to the living room and watch television to kill some time. As I'm flipping through the endless sea of channels in an ongoing quest for something 'interesting', Cream dashes into the living room, with her normally lop-sided ears standing straight up.

"I think someone's upstairs", she says amidst the chattering of teeth.

"Well, yeah" I reply. "That's probably Amy waking up from her nap and moving around."

Then, I hear it – a loud _thud_ that was directly above our heads, followed by a brief pause before a low moan could be heard. I look over to a still scared Cream, who tells me she heard that only a few moments earlier.

"Didn't Eggman break into your place awhile ago?" she asks, to which I nod.

_Eggman knows how to get here, and he has messed it up on more than one occasion. The most recent incident was when one of his outdated E-200 series robots totaled the whole first floor while following the command of 'kill Sonic' who was crashing here at the time…_

_Wouldn't surprise me if he did, but even he has a level of respect. He'll let me get it all nice and neat again before trying to fuck up the place._

While that's a possibility, the thought of Amy sick sounds more logical. Sonic himself told me about what happened that night, and it seems as if she's still under the weather.

_She even might have taken a turn for the worse…_

After taking a moment to calm Cream down and convince her that Eggman and/or one of his robotic goons probably weren't upstairs (today at least), we both make our way upstairs, and to the guest rooms. After checking all of them, we make our way towards my room, where the door is locked.

Apparently, the noises are coming from here, so I take a hold of the knob and turn it ever so gently…

…_only to nearly be blinded on the spot. If cartoon physics could apply in this world, my eyes would have popped out of their respective sockets while my mouth dropped to the floor._

_My bed._

_My sheets._

_Them._

_I didn't even know that there was such a thing as 'them'._

Sonic and Amy. Together. In my room. On my floor. Having flat out and raw sex.

They're too caught up in the heat of the moment to realize that Cream and I are staring at the both of them. And if the intial shock of walking in of those two having sex wasn't paralyzing enough, the shock of seeing them actually _complete_ the act was much worse.

_It doesn't take a genius to know an orgasm when you see and hear one…_

I seriously believe they hadn't noticed us at all, as they were caressing and kissing one another until I cleared my throat to get their attention.

(Sonic's P.O.V.)

_Shit._

I guess this is what you call embarrassment, right?

Two of our friends walking in on us having sex in my little brother's very own room. Yup. That's embarrassing.

Worst still would probably be that the secret's out now. Having sex with someone and being caught almost implies some sort of connection, so there's absolutely no way I can deny it now, at least to them. Tails and Cream, of all our friends, deserve to know about it first.

_Won't be too much sooner before the world knows too…_

The shock and realization almost made me jump and hit the ceiling, but Amy wouldn't let go. I was still inside of her from the flustered and equally embarrassed expression on her face.

_I take it she didn't feel like further exposing herself…_

Silence ensues, but is broken off by Cream, who follows Tails' lead in looking away from the two of us for the moment.

"We heard something up here and got worried since Amy hasn't been feeling well lately", she finally managed to say.

I look over to Tails, who, though still in shock, has managed to gather enough strength to scan the room with his eyes.

"I'm all for the both of you finally getting together and all" he started, "but…of all places…DID YOU HAVE TO FUCK ON MY BED!

I AM SO BURNING THOSE SHEETS!"

_Well, I'm glad to know that they're taking it so well…_

_And that's the end of this chapter. I know it took me forever to get it up, and I apologize. I'd type up a good bit of it in a few hours, then not touch it for a week and a half! On top of that, there were also days where I would open it up and suffer writer's block. /_

_So now, the secret's out. Sonic can no longer deny his feelings for Amy, and Amy now gets the satisfaction of having other people acknowledge her relationship with Sonic as fact (and not a mere figment of her overactive imagination)._

_Stay tuned for next chapter, when Sonic finally finds out about Amy and their baby. Trust me, you won't want to miss this – the way he finds out and his initial reaction afterwards is a must read._


	9. She Had a Secret

_**Author's Note:** Don't necessarily have too much to say, other than this is probably something that most of you readers have been waiting for._

_I'd say more, but I don't want to give it away right here and now._

_Now, on to the story._

_(Amy's POV)_

_Giggle. Is it really alright for me to be this giddy before revealing something so life changing and dramatic to a person I love?_

_Maybe not. I do laugh a bit too much when I'm quite nervous…_

Seated across from me is Shadow, at our usual table at the local café. He was nice enough to escort me over to my latest OB/GYN appointment, but only if I sponsored a few cup of coffee. He's having his usual black, and I've ordered a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream on top for myself.

He's a bit put off by my outburst, given the current situation, as his regular scowl only deepens.

"You're surprisingly upbeat about this, for once", he manages to get out amidst a sip of his coffee.

He's right. I've been putting off telling him for at least a month now.

Why put it off for so long?

For many reasons, which probably don't make a lot of sense anymore.

But mainly out of fear. And not just fear on one specific aspect of the situation, but on everything, ranging from fear of being a single parent, to fear of him not loving me for it. There's still that tiny little fear that even though he finally told me how he feels, it might crumble away the moment I reveal this to him.

Given the events of recent weeks, I'd have to say that some of those fears were a bit unfounded.

_But then again...I'm still trying to gauge his reaction…_

And I'm not being unrealistic about this, am I? I'm genuinely worried here. The world today isn't what it used to be say, about fifty to sixty years ago. A guy today could get out of being a parent with the drop of a dime while a guy during that time would have to step up to the plate and do the right thing – marry the girl, raise the kid, and make it look like a working, nuclear family.

And by all means, I'm not trying to force him into this. Absolutely not. I'm not one of those types who would have a baby to hold onto a man for as long as I possibly can – it's like saying, that's the best I can get, so I might as well try to keep it…

I already know what I want out of all of this. The ideal, however, would be that it involves him, in some form.

_But ultimately, it's **his **decision…_

Don't get me wrong. About 7 or 8 years ago, that was what I had pictured for the both of us. Married for maybe 4, 5 years tops before we started a family of our own. A little after we'd taken a little bit of time out from our lives to travel the world and visit people.

_But back then, I never fathomed that I'd be living in a situation that seems to be all too common nowadays…_

I come out of that thought as Shadow raises his voice while saying my name. I then remember that we'd been talking about the goings on during my appointment this afternoon.

"I'm making a mental note never to accompany you to one of those…_appointments_ ever again", he mutters, as he proceeds to gather the lasts drops of coffee from his cup. I shoot him a sly smirk as he motions a barista nearby for a refill.

"Does it have anything to do with that new receptionist shooting you goo goo eyes?" I teased. He looks away, while mumbling something that was probably obscene underneath his breath.

"I bet it was", I say with a grin.

Sara hadn't wasted a moment finding a replacement for that snotty bitch who gave me a hard time for my first appointment. We met her today for the first time. A violet porcupine with a bit of a regal and proper air to her.

_At least, she seemed the part. For some odd reason, she kept assuming that Shadow was the father of the baby._

After that moment's reflection, I decide it'd be best to apologize to him. "I'll apologize on behalf of the entire female population," I start up. "Baby-related business has a tendency of bringing out a lot of stupidity…"

He gives his usual, uninterested, unimpressed 'hmph'.

_Didn't last for too long though – after I told him about that delightful little 'incident' at Tails' workshop a couple of days ago, he was all ears and laughs._

_Well, a smug little chuckle is the best I can describe it. _

"And you **wonder** why you're pregnant?" he snickers. "The both of you need to practice more self control!"

_Well, here's to hoping Sonic's reaction is as great as this…_

(Sonic's POV)

_Click._ I quickly turn the knob of the door leading into Amy's apartment. Poking my head in, and briefly jetting around the premises, I realize that she's out. A quick glance at the refrigerator door reveals a note stating that she's finally taken my advice and gone to see a doctor.

_Good. Hopefully whatever has been bothering her recently will be resolved today._

My lower lip quivers into a pout for no one in particular as I re-examine the bouquet I'm holding. A dozen of the most fragrant, reddest, rosiest roses this side of Station Square. It's no special occasion today for the both of us, but I thought that it'd be nice if I could surprise her with a little something extra to show her just how much I care.

Something about flowers and girls... Flowers drive them crazy, and in the good sense.

_Especially in the good sense. Lately, that's all Amy and I have been._

After the initial shock and embarrassment of being exposed at Tails' place wore off, we've been on it nonstop.

_Hell, I didn't even imagine Amy to be that…adventurous…_

It was yesterday night. It's become a habit of mine to spend the night over at her place rather than mine, so we were both going to call it a night.

However, I had a little energy to burn, so I got a bit playful. Fondling and caressing her neck, breasts, abdomen…

I probably should have left it at that, but I guess you can say I'm making up for lost time. All those times where I had felt the same before, but hadn't fully succeeded in giving her a true explanation of my feelings.

_Had this want of hoping to make up for all the neglected 'I love you's…_

_But that's where it happens. She took control._

_I had been on top, not necessarily planning to go much further, when she flips me on my back in one swift motion. I let out a squeak as the sudden shift in dominance caught me off guard._

"_You think I'm going to let you have the fun of starting things all the time?" she whispers, albeit in a seductive tone the likes of which I had rarely seen of her. _

_She leans forward to kiss me, all the while feeling the erection that was forming all the while. Out of instinct, I try to pull her closer to it, but she has my hands pinned down. _

"_I want you to enjoy the ride", she whispers into my ear._

_And I just let her do her thing. She straddled me, rode me, and had her way with me._

_And it never felt so good!_

_Should definitely consider being more submissive more often…_

As I'm looking for a vase to place the bouquet in, the phone rings. I decide to ignore it as I continue to search, allowing the answering machine to record the message.

"_Hello, this Ms. Pricklin calling from Dr. Torinai's office. Just calling to remind you that your next appointment with the doctor is at 4:30 p.m."_

My ears perk up. A follow up appointment?

The message continues:

"_Dr. Torinai will probably be performing a secondary ultrasound to gather a more accurate approximation of just how far along you are in the pregnancy…"_

Pregnancy?

"_She would also like to help you structure a better diet plan, as she was overly concerned with your recent hospitalization…"_

Suddenly, the events of the past few weeks start to click. Wanting time way from me. Collapsing at the Mystic Ruins Bar and Grille. The overall symptoms of sickness that she had been exhibiting…

"_Don't forget to inform your significant other, that strapping black hedgehog fellow, about the ultrasound. He might be more than interested in taking a first look at his child._

_Rest easy, and hope to see you and the baby soon."_

Black hedgehog? Father?

_Shadow? Amy?_

_Baby?_

_What the **FUCK** is going on?_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. I know it was relatively short, but I thought you guys deserved a bit of a faster update after the month + it took for the previous installment to be written. _

_It's getting interesting now. Sonic knows (maybe, a bit too much), and not in the way that you were thinking he was going to find out. Some shit is definitely going to hit the fan in the next chapter, so stay tuned!_

_And as always, review!_


	10. Hurt

_**Author's Note:** A lot of your reviews here at FF are starting to get more detailed and interesting, which is something that we're both enjoying reading. _

_But, there was one review that caught my eye – something about having Shadow a little out of character, so I thought I'd take a bit of time before the chapter to explain that to the regular readers and anyone else that might jump into the story later on._

_Well, it might seem as if Shadow spending all that time with Amy and giving her advice is a tad out of character. But it really isn't._

_Why?_

_Well, character development. While I doubt Shadow is a happy feely hippie, I would like to think that some of the resentment that he's had towards the world since Maria's death would have been lessened after the events described in his own game title. But you can't make an introverted, bent on destruction hedgehog all cute and loveable in one turn, thus the sarcastic and mocking tone of voice he has when he's first introduced into the story in Ch. 5._

_Secondly, if it seems that he's spending a little too much time with Amy, it's because he's developed a growing affection for her. How it came to be will be discussed in a later chapter, but it should be noted that he never fully acted upon it out of respect for Amy's feelings towards Sonic, which was hinted at in Ch. 6._

_Thirdly, I think I should mention that this won't be the last time Shadow's feelings towards Amy come into question, so please, remember that when reading later chapters._

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_This is a joke, right?_

I walk over to the answering machine and replay the message in full. Replay it again.

And again.

And yet again.

I can't believe this.

She's pregnant?

And that's when it happened – an urge to prove that I wasn't imagining or dreaming this up. A desire to make sure that this was absolutely true.

I dashed into her bedroom, and swiftly began to rummage through her dresser and closet. Shirts, pants, and dresses flew in every possible direction as I emptied out the contents.

Only to turn up with nothing.

I turned to the little nightstand and began to examine the items on top of it. An alarm clock and telephone. A notebook and pen. A few framed pictures, but nothing.

In my frustration, I ended up kicking the bottom mattress of the bed. As I do, something slides out from underneath the pillow that she sleeps with. Carefully, I pick it up and realize that it's a pitch black piece of paper the size of my palm.

I turn on the light, and almost instantly, the hidden contents are illuminated, revealing a picture of something that I can't quite make out.

_A sonogram._

It had her first and last name, along with the time and date it was taken, which looks to be from over the past 2 weeks. That's the most I could make out.

And that's when _it_ happened. _It_ caught me completely off guard, right when I was in the mist of attempting to make sense of out this relatively new information.

Laughter. Not from the walls, or even my inner voice. But from my physical body. Not my normal cocky laugh or ha-ah funny chuckle, but flat out laughter.

And at this time, that seemed to be all I was capable of doing.

_Suddenly remembered Tails rambling about different responses the body could exhibit to various forms of shock. From things like going blind and mute to even laughter._

_And if **this** doesn't qualify, then I'm not quite sure what else does…_

In the mist of this…_shock,_ I somehow wind up in the living room, laughing my ass off while sitting in a corner across from the answering machine. The sonogram is still within my grasp, and while it appears to be nothing more than a black piece of paper, I now know it to be otherwise.

The laughter continues. Laughed and chuckled so hard to the point of becoming numb to the touch.

_Numb enough to even lose track of the time, because that's when **she** comes in._

I hadn't bothered to lock the door behind me after I entered, so she was a bit startled to find it already unlocked.

At that point, I'm not looking directly at her, but my ears perk up the instant I hear her yell "WHAT THE HELL?", as she's scanning the tornado of a mess in the living room and surrounding area.

_Keep in mind, the 'mess' that she's ogling is in fact the little search I held earlier._

Next thing I knew, she's right beside me, with a worried look on her face as she frantically attempts to rouse me from my numbness.

"Sonic, did something happen?" she asks, while tugging on my left arm.

I don't answer, and this only causes her to fret a bit more.

"Sonic, are you alright?" she wails, with tears starting to form in her eyes.

More silence ensues, with a density that can only be felt when something dramatic is about to occur.

_I laughed._

She's taken aback by this, obviously frightened by the sudden shift in expression.

"Sonic?" she finally manages, as a perplexed look rises as the first of many tears begin to fall.

And then, without saying anything, I handed her the blacked sonogram. It didn't take long to elicit some sort of reaction, as she instantly realized what it was. Widened eyes and dropped jaw that automatically asked, "Where did you find this?"

"When were you planning on telling me about this? After the kid was in pre-school?" I exclaimed.

I'm a bit taken back by my tone of voice, but as more tears continue to form and fall from her eyes, I continue: "How could you keep something so serious from me for so long?"

She's shaking her head in response, as if to try to appease me in some way, while managing to mumble something about how she was _going_ to tell me about it today.

_Sure._

By this point, I've collected myself up off the floor, dusting myself while she's still there, crying. Her crying intensifies as I send a rather cold stare down her way.

"You had me worried sick these past couple of weeks with your weird behavior…making me think that something was wrong.

When you knew this whole time.

...the whole **fucking **time.

Would it really have been so hard to let me in on it, rather than finding out, a bit awkwardly I might add, from the damned answering machine!"

_I don't hesitate to play the entire message in full for her, including the part that questions the paternity of the child._

…_that was a whole other level of anger in itself._

"I need get out of here. But I'm more than sure that Shadow would _gladly_ go on a diaper run or two just for you."

And with that, I dash out, leaving her upset and weeping in the whirlwind of a mess that had I created, both emotionally and physically.

_That was at least 6 hours ago, around 4:30 p.m. The sun has set now, and I'm all by myself, in a remote spot in the Mystic Ruins. _

_So many things…feelings have rushed through my mind in the last few hours than anything else in my entire life._

Firstly, and fore mostly, I feel like I was betrayed. She's obviously kept this from me for a good bit, and it doesn't make it hurt any less that I had to found out from a secondary source rather than her.

While I know I haven't always been someone that would exactly listen (rather, I'd run away while she was in mid-sentence at times), I thought I was getting better in that department at least. I've learnt to give her more of my attention and listen to what she had to say.

I guess she was thinking I wouldn't have taken her seriously or something else to that effect.

_But damn it – I was trying. Trying to be a little bit better in that area for her sake. _

_It's almost as if she doesn't trust me to take something this important seriously… _

Then there's that incident that happened occurred almost a year ago. I was unable to save the life of someone who was counting on me.

_It still bothers me. Even though the general public has forgotten about it…even though Amy and the others have assured me that I wasn't at fault….I still feel responsible._

_And if I'm feeling like this over the death of a kid that I didn't know personally, how the HELL am I going to feel if something ever happens to this kid that she's carrying?_

And this is just touching upon the base of it. There's then the question of paternity. Shadow possibly fathering a child with Amy is just something that I find wrong on so many levels.

_Images of the two of them making love and enjoying themselves have also been running and playing back in my mind ever since I first heard that message._

She could have been two-timing me the whole time and seeing him on the side. Or seeing him that whole time we weren't together.

_But those thoughts are drowned out by the image of the sweet girl who would always follow me around on nearly every adventure I went on since I first met her._

_The same girl who boldly declared her love for me every chance she got._

_Who would get fiercely jealous of anyone who she felt was a threat towards any feelings I might have for her._

It instantly succeeds in making me feel guilty for even questioning her fidelity, as I've always known where it lied.

_But I suppose, even with that in mind, that one can still have a little bit of doubt…_

And that's when I realized how harsh I had initially been towards her.

Without a moment's notice, I dashed over to the Mystic Ruins Train Station to catch the next train back to Station Square…

_And back to her._

The trains running this late in the evening only come once to every hour, so I was only reaching her place around 1 a.m. the next morning. The door was still open, and I turned on the living room lights to find that everything had been picked up and put away. I walk over to the answering machine; half expecting to find that dreadful message, only to find that it had been deleted.

A bit relieved, I proceed over to the bedroom, where I find her. Like the living room, everything that I had misplaced and dislodged has been put back into its proper place. Everything looks okay.

_Everything that is, except her._

She's still in the same clothes that she had been wearing earlier today, including a red winter jacket. I carefully tiptoe over to her and turn on the lights, only to frown at what I see.

She had cried herself to sleep, as her pillow is soaked all the way through, with the sonogram still in her hand.

Ever so gingerly, I rouse her from slumber, only to have her begin to cry the instant she realizes it's me.

"Don't cry", I say, as softly as I possibly can. I gently begin to wipe away her tears as they continue to fall.

She pushes my hand away and proceeds to sit up to face me. Her eyes are filled with a bit of uncertainty, but with determination quickly gaining over it.

"If…if you don't want anything to do with this", she starts, "It's up to you.

I can do this. With or without you.

Plenty of other women have raised children on their own, and so can I…"

She breaks down into more tears, to which I scoop her up in my arms and hold her tight. She resists at first, but eventually gives way and begins to wail freely into my chest.

"It's yours…and I would never...cheat on you…" I can hear her say, as muffled as it may be.

I gently nuzzle her forehead, and whisper "I know" into her ear, though I'm a bit uneasy as I say so.

We're like this until at least half past 2, where by this time, I've finally convinced her to wash her face and slip into her nightgown, for the baby's sake. I tuck her in, while I climb beside her on top of the covers, holding her tight.

Before she drifts off to sleep, I tell her how much I love her and how everything is going to be alright.

_Though at the current moment, I'm not quite so sure about the latter._

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. Things are shaken up a bit here, and while they seem 'okay' at the moment, they're going to get a little bit worse. _

_All this stress and drama is definitely not something that an expectant mother should be put through, and it's going to show in the next installment of this story._


	11. Be Careful What You Wish For

_**Author's Note:** Wow! You readers are really getting into this story. That fact alone makes both Kawaii Sonikku and myself very happy._

_Also, I'd like to take the time to remind you that some of the other characters (i.e. Rouge, Knuckles, Cream, etc.) will be showing up within the next couple of chapters. Particularly Rouge and Knuckles, as their relationship is a bit of a subplot on our part, which will reach an interesting development._

_Can't say much more than that or we'd spoil it._

_So on with the story!_

_(Amy's POV)_

_Bing. 3rd Floor. Clothing for Infants/Maternity, Boys, Girls, Young Men and Juniors this way._

We step out of the elevator and slowly begin to make our way through the segmented displays within the department. Turn back around after the car had cleared to make sure that I hadn't lost my shopping companions, only to hear "Over here, Amy!" from my far right.

I smile as I wave over to Cream and Cheese, who have come with me today. She's rushed on ahead, with Cheese in tow to the juniors section, eagerly holding up a top that she's already taken a liking to.

She had a half day from school and invited me out for lunch and a movie. One of our impromptu bonding sessions, where we go window shopping at the local mall, talk, and just overall act and treat one another as sisters would.

_I said yes instantly, of course. I had been missing her company and haven't spent a day out with her of late, excluding the recent visit to Tails' workshop._

_And with that particular incident, that's going to take a whole lot of making up by itself._

As I'm on my way to join her, a hint of blue and pink catches the corner of my eye. Pausing momentarily, I turn my full gaze to see a beautifully arranged merchandising set for baby related items. Three bassinets solidly colored in light blue, white, and pink respectively, and filled to the brim with different items a mother to be would need.

Already interested, I make my way over and start to rummage through each bassinet's contents, making mental notes of things that we'll soon need in the weeks to come. It's not too hard to figure out what the blue and pink ones had in them, which were clothing or items geared towards baby boys or girls respectively.

However, the white bassinet contained items with a unisex theme – that is, things that either gender could use regardless as they had general uses or weren't color coded to specifics. Blankets, one–piece undergarments, and bottles and a few other items were all neatly arranged to form a little circle within it, with a petite pair of baby stockings in the center.

I pick up the stockings to take a closer look, instantly amazed at the details present on something so tiny, when I hear a troublesome cough from behind, and turn around to find Cream looking at me with a curious look on her face. Cheese was also looking at me in the same fashion, while sporting a question mark above its head.

She didn't seem to quite be making eye contact with me, and it took a few seconds before I suspected she might have been looking at my midsection.

Instantly, I move a bit behind the bassinet, in an attempt to conceal myself, which only made her stare at me all the more.

_Then I came to realizing I had one of my heavier winter coats on. Particularly, one of two that I have that make me look rounder than I truly am._

"Why do you do that every time I catch you eyeing baby clothing?" she asks.

I smile and shrug, brushing it off as a force of habit.

_Well, the habit didn't hold as much significance as it does now…_

Thankfully, we didn't have to dwell on this for long. Cream went full force into an all out speech about how well the top she had found earlier would complement her 'assets' at a party she had been invited to. I smile while she's going on, but shake my head at the same time.

"It might look nice on you…but you know your mother wouldn't approve of something that's so…_scarce_", I say while examining it. "A blind person would probably say the same thing as well."

_I admit it was actually pretty nice. A red halter top with a spaghetti string neckline and very low back cut. Similar to something that I would wear myself, if I could still fit into my regular clothes…_

"But I remember that you wore this type of stuff when you were my age!" she retorts, with her ears flying straight up in the process.

"Chao chao!" added Cheese.

_From the way it said that, I can only assume that translates into "That's true!"_

"That was me. This is you." I reply. "I was already out on my own, and you probably think I could have done whatever I wanted. But that's not the case – I had to act responsibly in almost everything I did, which included the way I dressed.

I might have dressed a bit _mature_ for my age, but I definitely didn't wear anything that drew..."

"Unnecessary attention", she adds, finishing my statement.

A small giggle manages to escape my lips at this, and seeing as how she understands my point, I take a second look at the aforementioned top, while thinking of other pieces of clothing that would make it more 'Vanilla-friendly', considering how conservative she generally is.

"Do you at least have a nice jacket at home that could go with this?" I finally say, after a few seconds of careful accessorizing.

"Yes. A black denim jacket with matching black boot cut jeans" she chimes as her expression brightens as I hand her back the piece.

I give her thumbs up as 100 approval.

"Alright then. It's okay by me if you'll be wearing something over it. Just don't take it off, or else I'll have your mother lecturing me about how revealing clothing is an unspoken invitation for groping."

She's ecstatic at this point, and by now has tackled me to the floor in a tight embrace, screaming things like "Thank you Amy!" or "You're so cool!" while other customers are starting to give us weird looks.

_Cheese wasn't helping matters either by hopping about and saying "Chao chao!" as well._

Remembering my condition, I pull the both of us into a sitting position while telling her that it's nothing on my part.

Getting back up on our feet, I tell her to go and look around a bit while I go and get a one or two items for myself. Instantly, she's back over in Juniors looking at more tops, giving me an opportunity to finally go and get what I need at the moment.

_Maternity clothes._

It's still a bit early at this point, as I'm 4 months along, but I'm already pretty big. Sara told me that I could expect to have a bugling belly at about five months, but I think that's an understatement.

I can hardly fit into any of my regular clothes. Everything looks disproportioned, or out of shape, and the only thing that looks halfway decent at the moment are Sonic's pants.

_He might not wear them all the time, but he does have clothes._

Giving a casual glance and smile back over to Cream (who's still exploring in Juniors), I quickly make my way over to the Maternity section of the floor, skimming through several racks of clothing before a few choice articles of clothing catch my interest. Particularly, a pair of maternity khakis, a sundress that seemed to show all the best assets of the mannequin it was on (even if it was just a few pillows stuffed underneath to make it look pregnant), and a shirt that could actually fit over my belly.

Eager to see and feel how they looked, I rushed into a vacant dressing room nearby and rapidly jump into the khakis with little to no problem.

With two body length mirrors facing each other, I turn from side to side, carefully studying their form and shape upon my body. After a few minutes of inspections, I'm finally satisfied when I can't find anything that would change my mind about purchasing them.

_Yet there is one thing that probably could: Sonic._

I had asked him if he had wanted to accompany me to find better fitting clothes for the rest of the pregnancy, to which he said no. Not a flat out 'no', but his usual way of dodging something – an awkward smile while saying something to the effect of 'you have a better fashion sense than I do'.

_Normally, I would have interpreted that as one of many futile attempts at being polite, but I can sense it wasn't…_

I slip out of the shirt I had been wearing in exchange for the one that I was hoping to buy, quickly admiring myself in it while trying to concentrate on that rather than the current thoughts in mind.

The more I try, the more my thoughts wander off towards Sonic and his behavior since finding out about the baby. Growing increasingly quiet and distant to the point where it feels as if time has turned back, and I'm once again the hyper schoolgirl that was hot on his heels.

_Only this time around, my condition is allowing me to barely catch up to him…_

He's not at my apartment as often or as frequent as when we first started, but he does at least stay through the night. It's a relief when I wake up and find that he's still in bed with me, but more and more it seems as if he's waiting on _me_ to wake up, because he'll instantly jump up and dash out the moment he sees that I'm awake and fine…

Remembering what I was doing, I take off the shirt to try on the sundress, which was the last thing I picked. Almost instantly, it goes to work by concealing my belly with a higher waist line that starts at the bust.

Back to Sonic, he's just not the way he was, even to the point of being intimate with me. We still kiss and hug and exchange sweet things like 'I love you', but they seem to be few and far in between.

But the real kicker is the fact that we've stopped having sex altogether. We went at it once or twice a few times after he find out, but it got to a point where he finally came out and stated that he was uncomfortable with being so intimate in my condition. We both left it at that since, even with me informing him that sex wasn't necessarily harming the baby in any way.

_But I probably bet it's because he's uncomfortable with looking upon the continuing changes my body has been going through…_

With all these things in mind, it just succeeds in making me feel extremely guilty about everything in general. Guilty for keeping it to myself and not telling him, or other friends, who have yet to know.

Guilty for knowing that he's obviously not too thrilled about this development in our relationship.

Even guilty for being pregnant in the first place.

_He's gone from being the carefree, happy-go-lucky fellow I fell in love with to being overly serious and worried all the time. _

_Knowing that it all stems from my pregnancy._

_It almost makes me wonder if he would have changed so drastically if I had told him when I initially found out (instead of an inaccurate message on the answering machine)._

_Almost makes me wish I never became pregnant in the first place…_

Suddenly realizing what I was doing once more, I try to shake the last thought as I remove the sundress and proceed to dress up in the clothes I had initially been wearing.

Or at least, I would have been if I hadn't felt a peculiar wet spot on the pants. Probably would have thought little of it as I've been having a bit of trouble controlling my bladder of late. (typical pregnancy issue)

However, the all too familiar hint of a sanguine copper in the immediate air prompted me to lower one hand towards the wet area before promptly raising it to my nose to inspect.

_Only to find the copperish scent more prominent and stronger…_

_Heart now racing, I carefully undo the first button of the pants as I slid one hand inside, as the realization of what said 'wet spot' was starts to come into full light._

_My suspicions are confirmed as I remove my hand, with the presence of freshly shed blood dripping from my glove._

_Eyes wide open, I did the only thing that came to mind at a horrific time such as this._

_I screamed._

_(Cream's P.O.V.)_

Cheese and I were still in the Juniors section browsing when we heard a scream in the direction of the dressing rooms. Some customers quickly turned in the direction of the sound, but returned their attention back to what they were doing previously soon afterwards. As it sounded a bit familiar, I perked my right ear up in hopes of hearing it again, when 'help me' was spoken soon after in the same direction.

Instantly realizing **who** it was, I grabbed Cheese (who dropped the top I wanted) and dashed over to the dressing rooms. We were both in front of a particular one, which, when I tried to open the door, wouldn't budge as weight was preventing it from being opened.

Signalling Cheese, I told it to go between the gap above the door and unhinge the lock from within, which it did.

No sooner had it succeeded in opening the door did Amy stumble out and fall on the floor, withering in pain.

Kneeling down to help her up, I grabbed at one of her hands and felt something wet, and when I realized it was blood, I started to panic.

It wasn't really helping matters when a crowd started to form behind and around us, with people whispering nonsense and saying things like 'one of them is hurt', but not bothering to help.

Now in tears, I did my best to reach for my cell phone and dial 911, and stayed on with the operator until the paramedics came for the both of us.

As we were pushing our way towards the ambulance through the earlier crowd of customers who did nothing to help her, Amy told me to call Sonic and let him know what's going on.

Which I do – told him what hospital we're going to, but couldn't tell him exactly what was going on, since I wasn't quite sure myself.

That was, until he said two words before hanging up.

"_The baby."_

_And that ends this chapter. If you think Cream's out of character in this one, she might and might not be. Cream is about 13 years old in this fan fiction, which just puts her at the beginning of being a teenager, where a lot of crazy changes happen. _

_Stay tuned for the next chapter, where we find out what's happening with Amy and the baby, as well as seeing Sonic's perspective after finding out about the pregnancy._

_Shadow also reappears, and there will be some words/fists exchanged between him and Sonic, so if you were waiting for that in particular, the next chapter is the chapter to read._


	12. Close Call

_**Author's Note: ** It feels like eons since I last updated this story. But work has been a nagging pain in the neck of late, and it's starting to get to me. On my days off when I could be typing a bit more, I'm usually conked out most of the time._

_Or, I'm out trying to enjoy the last few days of summer as work has had me on a fine leash for most of it._

_On top of that, I currently have relatives over and one of the things they like to do when they're not out sightseeing is hop on the computer and browse for hours on end. Then there's also the issue of school just being right around the corner, but I think I can handle updating with schoolwork. _

_(Sonic's POV)_

_The baby._

That was the only thing racing through my mind as I made a frenzied dash towards the hospital. Moving my feet and tearing up the pavement as I took the quickest shortcut I knew of.

I don't know exactly what's going on at the moment, but from the way Cream sounded on the phone, I'm not sure what to think. She was in hysterics, but whether or not it was of the joyous or sorrowful kind is yet to be known. In fact, that pretty much could sum up the past few weeks for me – I don't know what to think about any of this…

This pregnancy feels like it came out of nowhere. One moment I'm finding out that she's pregnant (or rather, stumbling upon it accidentally), the next she's inflated to abnormal proportions.

_Seriously…I think I just blinked for a split second before the obvious aspects of pregnancy started to appear._

A baby that I didn't know existed until recently, and who actually might be coming into the world this very moment.

Or just becoming a father when I never asked or wanted to, let alone being prepared for it.

I don't even think I had a full moment to let the depth of the situation truly sink in until now.

_We're having a baby and to be perfectly honest, I'm not the least bit thrilled._

_And not because I dislike kids. I think they're great. Hell, if I did, I doubt I could have been as close as I am to a kid like Tails from the start. Or even remotely gotten along with Cream or Charmy when they were both younger._

_Still even think of myself as a kid at times._

Soon came to a screeching halt as I gracefully skid through the emergency room doors. Headed over to the front desk where the receptionist seemed more intent on obtaining an autograph than telling me where Amy was being situated.

"I can't believe I'm talking to the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog!" she exclaims, leaving me to mentally sigh over every second that I could have been with Amy.

After a few more moments of her praise (and one or two autographs), she finally divulges the room information I had initially been seeking.

_E-Unit 1, Rm 5. _Doesn't take me long to locate, as the familiar faces of a few of our friends indicate that I'm in the right place. Tails, who had arrived just before me, was doing the best he could to comfort Cream, who seemed more hysterical in person than she had been on the phone.

Vanilla had also arrived as well, trying to offer her daughter a few soothing words that weren't necessarily getting through to her. Cheese was there too, floating above Cream's head while also trying to cheer her up in its own way.

Casually, though with some unease in it, I greeted the trio and asked them if they knew exactly what was going on. Both Tails and Vanilla shook their heads in response, saying that they only came after hearing the distraught Cream over the phone. They also tell me that a medical professional is currently in the room with Amy, looking her over, so all they can do is wait for a briefing on the situation.

At this point, Cream manages to look up at me for the first time since I've arrived, and runs from Tails' arms into mine, weeping and sobbing "I'm sorry, Sonic", as if she had done something wrong. I rock her back gently in my arms, trying to calm her down the best I could so that she might be able to fill me in, as she was the only one who saw what happened.

Gradually, a few choice words and phrases are uttered from her:

_Blood._

_Baby._

_Miscarriage._

That's all that I can get out of her, before she gives me a dead serious look in the face and asks why Amy couldn't tell her that she was having a baby.

"…we never hide anything from each other", she cries, "First it's you guys getting together, and now you might be having a baby."

_I guess that last part made it really click for me._

_Amy could be losing the baby._

_I might not have been so keen on the idea of having kids, but I never wanted anything like this to happen…_

_Hell, I think this qualifies as ruining her life. Getting her pregnant and she might not be able to keep it._

It seems as if Cream's fragmented information made Tails and Vanilla visibly upset.

"I didn't know it was this serious", Vanilla whispered, as she returned to her daughter's side. "I hope they both pull through for you."

Tails walked over to me, patting my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm really sorry for you, bro", he started, "But I wish you guys had told us the news earlier. We could have all helped."

_Earlier? _

I started to laugh at that thought. Having her tell me earlier (or anyone else for that matter) seems like a hard luxury, which I tell them.

"Consider yourselves lucky you even found out" I tell them all.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" inquired Tails. He had seemly gotten very serious concerning the matter at hand.

_I can't hide the fact that I'm still irritated with how I found out for myself._

I had had enough hanging around and decided to find out for myself what was going on. I told Tails to step aside and passed Cream and her mother, who still wasn't letting up. I was about to enter the room when I noticed a familiar face, with a stern look and arms crossed standing to the right of the closed door.

_Shadow._

I don't think any of us realized that he might have been standing there this entire time.

Just as well I suppose. I don't think I'm currently in the mood to stand around and entertain him.

_But thinking and doing are definitely two entirely different things._

I punched him square in the jaw.

He seemed as if he genuinely wasn't expecting that, as he stumbled back a few feet before regaining his composure. My hit had succeeded in drawing some blood from his lip, which I think I might have split.

"What the FUCK was that for?" he roared while rubbing his lower jaw. His blood red eyes began to flash a shade brighter, as if staring daggers.

"I dunno," I said slyly, "but it sure made me feel a hell of a lot better." I alternated fists as I prepared, aimed, and swung a tight hook shot towards his torso, only to find myself hitting air immediately afterwards.

_Not to mention a very sharp blow to my **own** torso right after._

He had parried at the precise moment my hook would have made the connection and used the opening made to give me a good jab underneath my ribcage. Forceful enough to render me stunned for a few seconds, I staggered back as he pushed me against the wall, glaring all the while.

"I'm more than well informed over what must be irritating you at the mere sight of me", he snarled. "but I'm only here because I'm concerned for Amy's well being..."

"_Concerned because it might be yours?"_

I guess I must have said that out loud as the others were staring at us both in shock and awe. Vanilla was now escorting Cream down the hall towards the bathroom as she was near vomiting as a result of her crying. This left Tails and Cheese, with very shocked expressions and rather speechless, with the little chao sporting something the likes of which I had never seen one of them do before.

_Fuck, I never knew Chao could have obscenities like "WTF?" floating over their onion shaped heads._

I managed to grab hold of one of his shoulders and give him a sharp kneeing in the midsection, allowing me some distance between him and the wall. Or at least, I thought I got a good kneeing, since I was once again pinned. He delivers yet another blow to my gut, and it's by now that I realize that he's _purposely_ trying to take it easy on me.

_Shadow's not the type to just go easy on someone. The guy lives on nothing but violence and sadism. _

_Hell, I think I even caught him once at the local park shooting at slumbering bums on benches._

_Good thing he missed them…I think._

Even with this realization, my anger only became more intense. But managed he hold me down nonetheless, looking down at the floor while keeping me in a firm and secure grip.

"I don't know…what someone like her sees in you", he starts. He releases his grip, while coldly staring me down.

"Even after the fact that you're proving to be one hell of a lousy father."

I would have said something to reply to that, but he continued:

"And what really gets me is that for some odd reason, she wants that kid to grow up to be just like you. Which could be difficult when your father is spineless bastard who's been denying you from the get go…"

I was preparing to throw another punch by that time, but his words managed to strike a sensitive spot.

I think I was trying to find a way out. Maybe not all at once, but I think I was doing it all the same. From thinking Shadow had a hand in its conception to practically distancing myself from Amy any chance I got.

_I'm scared of what this type of responsibility might entail, and what could come if I fucked it up…_

Must have stood there caught in thought, as the door opened, and someone dressed in lime green hospital scrubs stepped out before closing it once more. Took me a few seconds before I realized that this person seemed rather familiar, before it dawned on me that they had been the one with Amy when she had collapsed at the bar a few weeks back.

"I remember you briefly from the other time Amy was here. Sonic, right?" she asks, after extending her hand out for a firm handshake. "Dr. Sara R. Torinai. It's just your luck today as I'm also her attending obstetrician."

"Yeah. That's me." I say. "But enough of the pleasantries. Is she..._are they_…going to be alright?" A hint of worry is present in my voice, which surprises me.

_I think this is the first time that I've actually displayed some genuine concern for both Amy **and** the baby._

I was greeted by a warm smile that was followed with: "Well, let me start off by saying that both mother and baby are doing ok."

When she said 'baby', I guess I must have been seeing stars because she corrected herself:

"Don't worry. It's not quite ready to come into the world just yet. But with that aside, I just wanted to alert you to what could be a cause for concern."

_Concern?_

"Apparently, between Amy's most recent visit with me and being admitted into the emergency room today, a slight subchorionic hematoma, or blood clot, formed and ruptured from inside the womb. While it's a good distance away from both the fetus and placenta, it's still a concern it was previously undetected, and if developing this late, may go on to pose a risk to the health of both mother and child."

Cream and Vanilla had returned from the restroom, both seeming in better spirits, and had heard the last bit of what the doctor was saying. "So you're saying that they're okay, but then they aren't?" the young rabbit asked, already easily perplexed by this development.

Shaking her head in response, the doctor goes on to clarify her previous statement. "Amy and her baby are doing fine. But with the symptoms of vaginal bleeding and some slight back pain, this is generally classified as a threatened abortion. That means, that there is a possibility the baby could or could not make it, or 50/50 if you want to get into statistics.

But, since I've had the pleasure of attending to Amy for most her pregnancy, I know for a fact that she's carrying an otherwise healthy and strong baby."

That was all that Cream needed to hear before she was back to her old self. She was jumping up and down ecstatically, with Cheese not far behind until her mother reminded her of we were.

"We have to be quiet for everyone who's recovering here", Vanilla scolded.

Tails, who had been quiet for most of this, finally walked up to me with a smile and congratulated me. "I guess I can say congratulations, seeing as how everything seems okay at the moment", he said softly.

I would have thanked him, but Amy's doctor tapped me on the shoulder. "Do you mind if I speak to you for a moment?" she inquired.

Shrugging, I waved to Tails as he followed Cream and her mother into the room to see Amy. When they had closed the door, she spoke up. "What I'm about to say isn't necessarily bad, but it's always best to be on the safe side.

I've decided to put Amy on bed rest until the blood clot clears up. She can go home today, but she has to refrain from doing a heavy workload and moving about."

"Bed rest? She can't move at all?" I ask.

"Bed rest, or 'house arrest' is what it is. She'll simply be taking it easy by lying in bed, staying on the couch…just relaxing until I give the go ahead to get back into her regular routine.

And, this is where you come into play. Since she'll be unable to do the things she usually would outside, you need to be supportive right now and help her out as best you can. Whether that's carrying her around the house or taking up the regular grocery shopping is up to you."

I nodded, thanked her, and was about to enter the room when she also added:

"Oh, and by the way, bed rest also means that there should be no more sexual intercourse between you two until this is all straightened out.

Other than that, I have to get going. I'm currently on call here, and one of my other patients just recently checked into the maternity ward.

It was nice seeing you again, and please tell Amy that I'll see her at her next appointment!"

And with that, she was off, jogging as fast as her green scrubs could carry her.

Once again turning towards the door, I noticed Shadow had left. Maybe hearing that Amy and the baby were both okay was enough for him. Finally step inside to see everyone else surrounding Amy, who was in a hospital bed and connected to a weird set of beeping and buzzing machinery.

"I think Sonic and Amy need some time alone" Vanilla stated. She then told me that we were welcome to any of Cream's old baby stuff when the time came before escorting Cream, Tails, and Cheese out.

Sighing, and a bit relieved, I pull over a nearby chair and set it beside the bed. Pausing, I look down at the bed sheets, then the various surrounding monitors from which the noises originate.

"So…what's that one supposed to do?" I ask, while pointing to one where a little dot made squiggly lines every few seconds.

"It's the baby's heartbeat and rate." she says. "But what would you care about that?"

Noticing that the marker on the monitor was peaking and dropping rapidly, I said "Kid has a really good heart.

Just like its' mother."

_SMACK!_ She had thrown one of her pillows at me.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, as tears began to form in her eyes. "You've ignored and avoided me ever since you found out about this baby, and now all of a sudden you're happy about it?

Make up your friggin' mind!"

I would have been dissuaded from pursing it further if I hadn't remembered something I've learnt these past few weeks:

Pregnant women are prone to mood swings, and as Amy's no ordinary woman, they're extreme. But even with that, it's all justified.

Carefully, I take her hands into mine and look deep into her eyes, which were still beautiful even with all the crying she had obviously done.

"You got me. I'm a major asshole who deserved that, and I'm sorry.

I was just scared, but that's no reason to treat you like I have. Forgive me?"

And that's when she gave me the brightest smile for the first time since I found out.

"We'll see about that", she says, a bit mischievously. "Maybe I'll forgive you right after they take me off of bed rest…"

_I like those odds!_

_Meanwhile…_

_Unbeknownst to our lovely couple, they weren't alone. On the wall crawled a seemingly harmless ladybug. To any untrained eye, this little insect would just be going about its daily routine._

_However, this was no ordinary ladybug, but a finely tuned video camera and recorder, capable of relaying images and sounds to another receiver._

_And, seated in front of this very receiver, carefully stroking his graying whiskers was none other than Dr.Eggman himself._

"_Children?" he asked no one in particular. _

"_This could get interesting. Very interesting indeed."_

_And there you have it folks. We all know it's never a good thing whenever Eggman's involved, so stay tuned for that development in chapters to come. _

_Next chapter finally features the return of Rouge, along with Knuckles being introduced (and of course, a clique misunderstanding results in an all out brawl with Sonic)._

_Stay tuned, and as always, review!_


	13. One Crazy Happy Birthday

_**Author's Note:** Things have gotten a bit hectic again. My work schedule might have toned down for now, but college has resumed for me. Also, this just so happens to be Kawaii Sonikku's first semester, so the gap between chapters might be a bit. I'm saying this because she's just as responsible for creating this story as I am, as much of her input and foresight has shaped this fiction into what it currently is._

_Don't worry, we'll still be updating. It just might take a little while longer than what we're doing now, since the both of us do brainstorming to figure out what'll happen next before I type up the next chapter._

_Also, I'd like to note that there were one or two folks who mentioned that it'd been awhile since Eggman had been involved or mentioned within the story. I do agree that he's been quiet._

_Maybe a little **too** quiet…_

_Don't worry – he'll be rearing his bald little head as early as the next chapter._

_(Amy's POV)_

_$34.56, please._

I eagerly hand over my money with exact change to the cashier, while gingerly grabbing one of two grocery bags from the conveyor belt. Turning around to take the other, I smile when I notice that Sonic has grabbed the other one. Having completed our business, we both walk outside, instantly greeted by the welcoming warmth the sun has to offer in the month of June. I close my eyes for a split second, taking that time to bathe within the radiance of the sun's rays.

_It feels good to be outside._

"You sure you don't want me to carry that for you?" Sonic asks once we've started back in the direction of my apartment. Shifting his bag into one arm, he extends the other towards me and my bag, silently asking me to comply.

Pausing, I take a moment to think his offer over before playfully smacking away his extended hand. "I'm pregnant, not invalid!" I declared. "It's not going to hurt me to carry a bag of groceries a couple of blocks." And with that, we both continued on our way.

Mentally, however, I'm a bit taken back that he offered. A little over a month ago, I couldn't even get him to open a jar of pickles for me, but now he's offering to do little things like carrying my groceries.

_The thought of how sweet he can be at times makes me melt…_

_But then again, I suppose he has a right to be worried, considering that fright we had recently..._

I was on bed rest for nearly an entire month. Couldn't go outside, walk about, exercise…just had to secure myself to either my bed or a couch if I really felt like a change of venue.

That doesn't quite count for much in your own home – you know every nook and cranny, so there's no element of surprise to be had. There was nothing to be thrilled or excited about, or look forward to other than more of the same.

At first, it actually wasn't that bad, as all I wanted _was_ rest and to comply with Sara's orders as best I could. But one person can only sleep or lie around in bed for so long before they start to get restless, which I did.

I even can go as far as to say that I might have gone stark raving mad, if not for one person, and one alone.

_Sonic._

He took care of me the whole time I was at home. Bringing me my meals and doing the grocery shopping. Even trying to hold my interest through pure conversation, which is something I definitely know he's not too keen on.

Overall, with him there, it made the time go faster than it would have if I had been going it alone.

It's almost a bit surreal – a couple of weeks ago he wasn't all too thrilled about the baby, but now…it almost seems like he's somewhat okay with it. Not to the point where he's running around town yelling it out, but he does seem a _little_ bit excited.

_I think our very first visit together at the obstetrician proves that. You could definitely tell that this was the first time he had ever been to one of these. Completely the opposite of his cool and collected self. Sweating from head to toe, shaky voice, and an unfounded fear that I would go into labor the moment we walked in._

"You sure everything's going to be alright in here?" he asked curiously. "Nothing is going to set you off?"

I shake my head and ask him whether he thinks I'm carrying his child or a ticking bomb counting down to detonation.

"Both!" he replies.

By the time we're in with Sara and situated, he seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. Particularly when she performed what now feels very routine – _a basic ultrasound_.

Holding a previously taken sonogram, she gives it to us to study while using the stylus to home in on the baby's positioning.

"This is absolutely beautiful", she says while further maneuvering the stylus across my abdomen. "You can clearly see everything at this point – hands, fingers, eyes, nose…" She quickly traced each appendage out for us to see, even though Sonic and I couldn't really distinguish between all of it.

Afterwards, she revealed that the blood clot that initially resulted in my bed rest status had nearly disappeared. Apparently, it hadn't necessarily been as large as she had initially suspected, and according to her, this was one of the few cases she's covered where one had shrunken so rapidly.

"You wouldn't have known you had one", she stated while pointing to the area it had been located from the previous ultrasound. "Since this seems to be clearing up and everything else looks to be in order, I think we can take you off of the bed rest restriction."

And as you can imagine, we're both ecstatic about it. I can finally walk around and resume a regular routine without fear of any repercussions

_Fresh air. Sun. Freedom for the first time in weeks._

As for Sonic, he seemed happy about it. He actually smiled and gave one of my hands a loving squeeze upon hearing the good news. We were both perfectly content with the way this visit was going.

_That was, until it got even better…_

We had packed up and were about to exit the office, when Sara said she had something very important to tell us. Having thought that everything had already been cleared, we were a bit curious (not to mention anxious) to find out whatever it was.

_Or so we thought._

As she removes her glasses to clean them, she lets out a soft chuckle. "For a woman nearly halfway through her pregnancy, you're rather calm about not knowing the gender of your offspring." Closing her eyes, she carefully reset her cleaned spectacles against the bridge of her nose, before smiling and reopening them.

"The both of you do want to know, right?"

_The prospect of gender had never truly entered into my mind. From the time I had found out and up until now, I don't think we were really trying to think of whether or not it would be a boy or a girl, but more so as just an individual on its own. _

_Hadn't gone ahead and assumed it was one or the other, because I might have unconsciously limited myself towards contemporary social norms. Don't want to condition a little boy into being tough or a little girl into being passive…_

_So much already comes from the assignment of a gender in itself – one can never truly escape all the social expectations that are expected of one's gender…_

_But at least, I'd like to try…_

I tell her that I don't necessarily want to know, but mention that Sonic might be interested. I sort of figured that he's been through enough in the past few weeks already.

_But…he wanted to be surprised too._

"Thanks, doc", he began, while moving in to give me a soft embrace, "but I don't think I want to know either. Besides, it shouldn't be _too_ much longer before we really know, right?"

_That was that. No more gender this or that. We were simply going to wait until they made their entrance into the world._

I guess Sara must have been a bit shocked at first, since she had an eyebrow raised during and after Sonic's simple statement. "Okay then, suit yourself", she shrugged.

After a few seconds, she handed me an appointment reminder slip while updating my personal file as we all exited her office. "Well, I'll see you next time, Amy." She said as she made her way down the hallway in a direction opposite from ours. "If you change your mind, and I **have** had this happen – feel free to contact me anytime.

I just hope you don't ask me why I didn't tell you when you're in the delivery room."

_And with that, she was off. _

Today marks the second week since Sara officially cleared me. It certainly feels good to be up and about, doing even the little things that I took for granted. Walking to the corner shop for the daily newspaper. Going to the bank. Even something as necessary and basic as grocery shopping seems exhilarating after being confined to one place for so long.

And, given everything that's happened and how sweet he's been for the duration of this, I'm planning on making a very special meal for a very special hedgehog on _his _birthday tonight. At the very least, it's one of the few things I can do to show Sonic just how much his love and support have meant to me.

_Besides, they say that the best way to a man's heart is through food..._

We were just about to start down the last two blocks when one of my ears perked up and turned left in the direction of a faint sound which was rapidly becoming more pronounced. Sonic must have heard it too as he stopped in mid-step alongside me to listen, as whatever it was sounded as if it were coming in our direction.

_Something faintly familiar…but yet, we couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was._

Waited a few seconds and that's when we both heard something to the effect of "I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP FOR THIS, SONIC!" in a familiarly deep tone of voice. By now, I had no uncertainty as to who it would be. I also followed Sonic's lead in shaking my head, as we mumbled one name underneath our breath.

_Knuckles._

By now, we've already turned around to face him and see what he wants, and he doesn't look the least bit pleased. Glaring daggers at the both of us as he quickly crosses the street in the mist of a red light, not giving much thought as to whether he could possibly be mowed down by any given motorist. Or rather, motorists should be concerned about _him_, as he instinctively deflected a screeching car that would have presumably sent him flying towards Emerald Coast. Instantaneously, several other cars behind the first began to swerve and maneuver around to avoid a collision.

The driver of the first vehicle jumped out to inspect the damage, which ranged from a cracked headlight to a very large and visible dent on the hood. "I hope you're going to pay for this, jackass!" they yelled after the enraged echidna.

Yet with one glare back from Knuckles, they froze for a split second, yelling "FORGET IT!" while retreating into their vehicle and zooming off.

Judging from the strength of his voice, you could instantly deduce that _something_ had happened that would piss him off royally enough to come down from his island.

"Hey Sonic," I whispered as he was only a few yards away from us, "I bet you a back massage that this has something to do with the Master Emerald". "You're on!" he replied, just as Knuckles had finally reached the both of us.

And, in his normal, nonchalant manner of speaking, Sonic asked: "So, what's cooking, Knux?" This only resulted in a low, menacing growl from Knuckles, who immediately lunged forward in an offensive position.

"I'm not here to talk! I'm just going to beat your ass into the sidewalk!" he yelled as he made several furious jabs towards Sonic, all of which he easily dodged. "Stop playing! You know what you did!" he growled as he created a hole in the pavement, sending shockwaves that cracked and fissured several surrounding tiles. Something that was folded dropped from his side, and into the hole as resumed his assault.

As this continued, I carefully inched myself closer towards the crater, just to get an idea of what could have possibly happened if Sonic had stood still for a split second. It was deep enough that he probably fractured a water main, as it immediately began to bubble and flood with liquid. Also took notice of a rectangular object that was gently floating long the uneven surface, and rapidly getting soaked with each passing second.

Out of pure curiosity, I carefully set aside my groceries and knelt down as best I could in an effort to reach in and grab whatever it was that was floating in there. After a few tries and repositioning myself twice, I was able to get a good look at what Knuckles had dropped in the heat of his anger.

It took just one hard look at the water damaged cover before I let out an anguished sigh.

_The Station Square Inquirer. Particularly that lovely little issue where they're trying to infer that Sonic is seeing a sultry little number – better known to us as Rouge._

As it doesn't take much to put two and two together with Knuckles, I figure that this is the cause of his anger. I still wonder why it would have taken him this long to hear about it.

_Then again, he does live on a floating rock a good percentage of the time._

Ever so carefully, I push my groceries to a 'safe' spot on the sidewalk behind a mailbox before gently trying to straighten myself up. Not as easy as it seems, as gravity hasn't been in agreement with me since the baby started to make itself at home in my womb.

After a few minutes of easing myself up into a standing position, I yell at Knuckles, who's still trying to show Sonic how he can create a whole new shade of red by cracking his head on the pavement.

Slightly irritated, I raise my left hand to my lips while pressing two fingers together and blew to create a sharp, eardrum shattering whistle. At once, Knuckles stopped in mid punch, turning around to look at me with the same intensity he had when he first arrived.

Realizing that I had only a few seconds before the calm died, I gently waved the worn tabloid around in my hand for both him and Sonic to see. "Is THIS what you're irritated about?" I firmly inquire.

_From the full minute of silence that followed, I'd take that as a yes._

"Geez, knucklehead", said Sonic as he took a moment to dust himself off. "You still don't get that she's played you with all those other guys?" He placed a hand on one of the echidna's shoulders in an effort to calm him down. "C'mon, bro. You can't keep letting her do this."

Knuckles then mumbled something that came out rather muffled, so Sonic asked him to repeat it again, only to receive the same reply.

"What was that again?" he asked while cupping one ear for better hearing.

"**WE BROKE UP!" ** Knuckles shouted at the top of his lungs. "She came up to my island, fucked my brains out, and then tells me that it's better if we spent some time apart."

"_Time apart to spread her legs for someone else" I thought._

"I figured I'd pack up some of the stuff she left behind and bring it down here so I'd have an excuse to see her, and that's when I find…_that",_ he says, while angrily pointing towards the tabloid.

With rage once again building within, he turns back over to Sonic and angrily berates him for being such a poor friend. "You knew how I felt about her…and yet you went and fucked her behind my back.

And for that, I'm going to kick your ass so far up inside your body that when you shit, it's going to come flying straight out of your mouth!"

Sonic threw his hands up in the air to protest. "Rouge isn't my type, and secondly, I personally don't like sleeping with someone who's been around the block and then some."

_And at this point, I've had enough. Not because of the scene he was making, but over the simple fact that Knuckles could so easily think that either Sonic or myself could or would act as anything less than a friend to him. He's known the both of us for years and yet he can quickly assume that we'd do something so terrible…_

_Apparently, having an unfaithful girlfriend over friends he's known for ages means a hell of a lot more to him._

_Well…I'm not having any of that._

I decided to speak up, and once again whistled to get the proper attention. "Damn it Knuckles!" I exclaimed angrily. I stomped my foot and clenched both fists as I was now getting more irritated by the minute. "When are you going to realize that she's been playing you this whole time, hmm? Is it going to be after the two of you want to have kids and one or none of them even _REMOTELY _look like you?"

Sonic gasped at what I said. "Damn, Amy!" he shouted in shock.

But I persisted: "You really think that she's going to change overnight for you? Or are you just some masochist who just likes the pain and suffering she brings you?

Or…never mind. I'm not going to get into the possibilities. But I will say one thing, and this is something that I don't like to say very often:

She **IS** a slut. Period. And I doubt that you can deny it or change it any time soon. While you're stuck on Angel Island, she's probably with some sexually frustrated bastard at any given time of the day.

Hell, Shadow's even told that me that it makes little to no difference to her who she has sex with, so what really makes you think that she sees something different in you?

So, with that in mind, just save yourself more romantic anguish and forget about her, okay?"

_Wow. I'm surprised I was able to say all of that without being struck down, especially after the 'slut' remark._

There were a few moments of silence before everything I said sank into Knuckles' head. Gradually, I noticed that his normally sanguine complexion was now taking on that of a purplish tone.

_Shit._

Very slowly, he approached me, and that's when a very faint memory of the _last_ person who had called Rouge a slut in his presence flooded back into my mind, to which I gulped. It came in bits and pieces, as visualizations of a broken bar stool and a half empty bottle of beer were enough to send a shiver down my spine.

_Hell, I still wonder to this day if that guy's rectum is working properly…_

He was only a few steps behind me when he said that I was one to talk shit like that.

"All this coming from an overly annoying, FAT, squeaky little BITCH like you!" he roared. He was now standing face to face with me, and as I tried to move out of his way, he firmly grabbed a hold of me.

"I'd be the one watching my words if I were you, Knuckles" Sonic said as he noticed what was going on. But his protests fell short as I was lifted off my feet and dragged along towards a nearby building. Without even looking at me, he threw me forcefully into what would have been a nearby wall.

"Don't you EVER talk about her like that again, bitch!" he yells after me.

_But I don't care. I'm screaming too loud as I'm thrown towards the wall, hoping to the heavens that the impact doesn't harm the baby in any way._

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_CRASH!_

Amy and I are both sprawled out upon the sidewalk, with me holding her up on top of me. Her face is still flushed from all the screaming, and she's looking a bit flustered. But that all gives way once she wraps her arms around me and breaks down into tears.

I gently pull her close in an effort to comfort her, letting my hands trail up her sides, when I come across her extended abdomen. I look down at it for a moment, as recent events and memories begin to rush back into me.

_Is he blind?_

Very carefully, I help Amy up onto her feet and ask her if she'll be okay, when I notice a scratch on her right arm. It's not a really bad scratch, but sharp enough for some blood to begin to ooze out. It seriously could have been a lot worse, but the fact that she still got hurt doesn't sit right with me.

_Almost instantly, scenarios of what could have happened if I hadn't caught her at the last second fill my mind. All of which involve some form of harm being inflicted on our unborn child._

_And with those thoughts floating around in my head, something snapped. I could feel a sudden and swift rage building up and taking over my entire being…with a strength that I can only possibly equate it to as the anger I would feel when those that are dear to me are placed in harm's way…_

_Only this time, it felt as if it had reached a new level of intensity. So great that I found it to be both frightful and intriguing._

_Yet, one thing was for certain:_

_This type of behavior was something that I wouldn't stand for…_

I was on him in a flash. Didn't even allow him time for a single blink of the eye – I was just **ON** him, tackling him down to the ground as he let out a muffled gasp in surprise.

It would have seemed as if I had the advantage with the speed and velocity of my attacks. Yet Knuckles still managed to hit me where it counted. He threw a short jab just above my groin, which sent me reeling back in agony. Now having the upper hand, he wasted no time in reminding me why he was known to all as 'Knuckles', pounding and kneading me with his massive fists as if my solid body was nothing more than leavened dough.

While the pain was starting to get to me, my rage was able to sustain me, acting as a sort of buffer to whatever he threw.

I pushed myself up into a hand pivot and delivered a spinning kick into his jaw, which sent him flying into the same wall which he had projected Amy into moments earlier. Slowly, he drew himself up against the wall for support, while wiping away the little bit of blood I had drawn from his mouth.

_Knowing Knuckles, he was only getting his second wind, so I knew I had to end it quickly._

I lunged at him, putting more effort and energy into making sure everything connected, as he was also giving it all that he had. Finally, I found the opening that I had been waiting for before sending a swift and powerful kick into his midsection.

As he slid down onto the ground in pain, I grabbed him, pinning him up against the wall. You could tell he still had fight in him, but I was growing tired of this. I let out a snarl as I sent a barrage of fists into his chest.

"This is for calling Amy a bitch", I said while delivering the first to his midsection.

"This is for shoving and getting her hurt", while connecting two more to his face.

After a few more of the same, I stopped, before winding up to deliver what would be a final blow to his face.

"And this…" I growled, "This is for the child that she's carrying. The same one that you almost could have injured if your temper had really gotten out of hand!"

"_That's enough!"_

I was shaken out of pounding some more sense into this genius when Amy interrupted us. "Just stop it already!" she said, while wedging herself between the both of us. "You already got your point across and then some. I'm a bit reluctant to move, as Knuckles could attempt to throw a hard one at me. And with her back turned and her belly facing me, it could very well mean disaster for the baby.

But she wasn't shaken. She stood her ground.

"Let's just get out of here, okay?" she pleaded with me.

_There's a stare down between the both of us; an activity that we've done several times before. I'm damn well determined in doing something I have my mind set on, and she's thinking the complete opposite._

_She always wins._

I slowly begin to soften my features to show her that she's won. Then I loosen my grip of Knuckles, sending him down with a thud on the pavement, as he silently curses to himself.

In that moment, I run back to one of our grocery bags and rip off a small ribbon, and begin to bandage Amy's scratch with it.

"We'll put some peroxide on it when we get back to your place, okay?" I tell her in a lighter tone of voice. I gather up the bags again, and we're about to continue on our way when she once again insists on carrying one.

"You sure?" I ask her.

Wiping away a stray tear, she smiles. "I told you before – I'm pregnant, not invalid."

"_Hey Amy…Sonic. Congratulations..."_

We both turn around to see Knuckles standing up behind us, a bit uneasily. It's then that I see what I did to him – a busted lower lip, swollen left cheek, and dirty from the neck down. Slowly, he walks over towards the both of us, and as I'm ready to drop my bag, he raises a hand to signal me to listen.

"Amy, about the fat bitch comment, I…didn't…well, what I mean to say is…I shouldn't have pushed you because of your current condition…" he stammered.

"Don't worry about it." Amy said in her cheerful tone of voice. "I know you didn't mean it…and I probably could have been more tactful about what I said as well…"

_That's Amy for you. Always so forgiving…_

"Same goes for you too, Sonic", he added in. "I should know better than to push girls around.

_That makes you wonder if he has no problem fighting with Rouge. Then again, she's definitely one who can take care of herself._

Anyway, I better get going…"

And with that, he glided off in the opposite direction, albeit sluggishly than usual.

We had been walking for a couple of minutes when Amy realized that we had passed her apartment building. "Where are we going? My place was about a block ago", she noted.

Stopping, I told her to wait a moment before grabbing both bags and zooming back in a flash. Reappearing a moment later, I told her that we were making our way over to Rouge's place for a quick visit.

"Far be it from me to stick my nose into other people's business", I told her, "But even though he can be an ass, he doesn't deserve the shit she's putting him through."

_And with that, we started on our way towards the Nights Babylon district of Central City, with the intention of making a visit to one particular nightclub…_

_(Rouge's P.O.V.)_

_Yawn. It's probably about time I woke up. _

Expanding my wings, I stretch both my arms up and behind my back into a stretch, warming them up from the folded position that I had myself in throughout most of my slumbering.

_Who needs a cup of espresso when you can experience an adrenaline rush through a few stretches?_

I'm feeling all of this without even the slightest flickering of my eyes, as everything that I could see whether I was trying to focus on it or not is pitch black. Black as if the night sky was in full swing, with only the stars and moon to illuminate it.

Eyes still closed, I yawn once again as I release both of my feet from the ceiling, while relaying on my natural sense of balance to make a perfect landing. Once grounded, I finally open my eyes to catch a dim glimpse of the seemingly soft and lush bed to my right.

_Other than some 'recreational' use, I never quite understood what was so special about sleeping in one of those…_

A quick glimpse at the alarm clock reads 4:56 p.m. in the afternoon. Not necessarily as dark as I would like at this time of year, but it's late enough for me to go about my business for the evening, which includes setting up and opening the club for another night to loyal patrons.

_Patrons, who have a great tendency towards paying me exceedingly well for my…services._

Normally, I wouldn't be getting up this early, as I usually only do so to watch a rehearsal for an act or special performance going on at the club. But today almost necessitates it – I'm running low on liquor – whiskey, tequila, rum, but most of all, beer. The beer fountains are fully stocked, but as of late, I've gotten an increased demand for some of the more exotic, imported varieties that only come in bottles. Have to go and see if I can buy some cases at a wholesaler before I can place an order with the regular supplier.

_Ironically, I can't stand the taste of the stuff, as tequila is more my thing, but I can't complain about it either. It seems to be the drink of choice, and most of those imported brands fetch me a pretty penny for the amount that I charge. _

With that in mind, I proceeded to the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the shower, letting it warm up while I rummaged through my closet to find an instant favorite to wear for tonight's business.

Deciding to go the way of the cat suit, I finally settled on a light blue latex one that only has a single long sleeve made into it. Laying it out on my bed, I quickly shed the tiny nightgown and pant combination I had worn and dove into the steamy confines of the shower. Enjoying the feeling of the warm water when it first touches my skin, I relax and begin to lather up while enjoying it.

_Or I would have been enjoying if not for my doorbell ringing that very moment._

Frowning, I wait a few seconds before trying to resume my shower, when it sounds off once more. Now frustrated, and realizing that someone is outside and waiting for an audience with me, I hastily take and conclude my shower, before swiftly drying myself off.

I have a bit of trouble getting into my latex attire, as a loud rip is heard as I struggle while pulling the top portion up onto my chest. "Fuck", I say to myself, as I turn on a light to inspect the damage, which is a long, lateral rip just below my bustline. It only takes a few seconds before I'm back into a smile, as it actually looks as if the rip improved the overall effect. It's almost unfortunate that I can't use it again after this, as the tear would gradually get worse.

_But it definitely should be a hit with the patrons tonight._

Now clothed (to a degree), I make my way out of my bedroom and towards the locked door of my apartment. Looking through the peephole, I see a familiar shade of blue that one doesn't easily forget.

_Sonic._

Normally, I'd leave a guy to wait it out while I finished getting ready, but my curiosity got the better of me. He's not the type that would drop by to make a visit, or with me of all people.

Undid the safety locks and opened the door. "Hey there, Blue", I say, a tad playfully. "What brings you to my neck of the woods tonight?"

"_Ahem. What am I, chopped liver?"_

I looked behind him to see that he wasn't alone. Amy was with him, and if not for the simple fact that my eyes suddenly froze upon seeing the massively swollen state of her stomach, I probably would have invited her in too.

_But I was just too busy trying to keep my jaw from dropping on the floor._

"You're…_you're…_" was all I could manage in my dumbfounded state.

"Pregnant? Yes, we both know." Amy huffed. "But forget about that for a moment. We just came down to straighten something out because it's really getting out of hand."

"Straightforward answers too!" Sonic chimed in.

"**What the hell is going on with you and Knuckles?"** they both asked simultaneously.

_Let's just say I heard that loud and clear._

Eventually, I allow them both inside as the hallway just isn't the place for that sort of information. As we made our way towards the living room, I snuck a quick glance at a wall clock hanging in the kitchen.

_5:25 p.m._

_Still enough time to make that trip to the local wholesale warehouse._

They took a moment to inform me of the little run-in that they had with Knuckles earlier, to which I told them I would make it a point to talk to him later – I don't appreciate a man who beats up on another woman in my name.

As soon as we had all gotten comfortable on the centerpiece sofa, I started to go into the explanation, not necessarily knowing how much of it the both of them were willing to believe. I could definitely tell that it wasn't much, as they alternated between grimaces and head shaking.

Most of it had to deal with business, but some of it had to deal with personal preference. But mainly, it was a mix of both, as I tend to really love what I do.

_Whoever came up with the idea of not mixing business with pleasure must have been one, lonely, celibate bastard._

"I really don't think flying up every once in awhile for a mercy fuck constitutes a formal relationship of any sort." I said as I finished. Silence passed shortly afterwards, revealing that both hedgehogs were still unconvinced.

"That may be all fine and good for you," Amy began, "but Knuckles apparently thought it was something deeper. And far be it from me to say that I thought you guys would make a good couple.

If using sex as an asset is more important to you than him, I'd say he's way better off."

_Touché._

"Damn. This was a waste of time." Sonic muttered, as he had been quiet the entire time. Jumping to his feet, he playfully stretched his legs before turning to Amy, helping her to her own feet. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he put up a smile while asking her if they could invite Knuckles over to dinner at her place, to which she instantly agreed.

"He definitely needs some good friends around", she replied, in that typically cheery manner that I've come to expect from her.

As they turned to leave, I once again caught a glimpse at her bulge, while taking notice of how Sonic was interacting with her –talking softly, walking at an uncharacteristically slow pace, and most importantly, holding her close. Normally, I'd cringe at the sight of something like that…but somehow, this was different. More like an indirect little ping of pain striking me right in the chest.

And as memory recollects, this would probably be classified as your all-too-classic symptom of jealousy. Jealous over what, I'm not quite sure. But jealous all the same, and enough that I yelled out something that I would not have expected myself to unless I knew I was alone.

"_You're right."_

_I can feel the onset of tears welling up in my eyes, so I focus my sights on the carpet, trying my best to hold them in, but to no avail._

They were just about to open the door when they stopped, turning their attentions back towards me.

"You're right", I say again, my voice gradually giving way to soft sobbing. "He doesn't deserve what I've put him through…and I don't deserve him..."

"Then why do you have to go and cheat on him with other morons if you already know this?" inquired Sonic. "If you knew all that, then why didn't you just break it off sooner?"

"I honestly thought I was by sleeping around", I reply. "You two must think it's easy going through a long distance relationship. It's not. When you visit, you're not fully taking the time to enjoy the moment for what it is, but for what it will be after it's all over. You long for…anguish over them when they're not with you…

The only reason I slept around so much when we were together was so I could try and forget what I was feeling. Sex has always been enjoyable for me, so I thought it'd be the same.

And it was at first. But pretty soon, I started to see him instead of who I was with on any given night.

I never expected it to get this far. I just thought he'd get pissed and fly off to his island, forgetting about me in the process. But instead, he makes it a point to hunt them all down to beat them up in my honor.

I've never had anyone care that much for me. _Ever…_

I couldn't take it anymore, so that's when I told him it was over, and for good. I just wanted it all to stop…_"_

"I swear Rouge, you can be downright stupid at times", said Amy. She walked back over towards me, taking out a pink handkerchief from her pocket before offering it to me. "I would think that you of all people would realize that love isn't an easy thing, because if it was, it wouldn't be the genuine thing.

The distance and the fact that he can't come down to see you as often as either of you would like shouldn't hinder you from trying to pursue a meaningful relationship. You love him, right? What difference should it make if you have one or two obstacles in your way?"

Smiling, she looked over to Sonic, who also returned the gesture. "Besides, I doubt I would be as blessed as I am now if I had given up on Sonic." she finished.

_I knew she was right again. You don't know how far it could go until you try._

"I doubt he's up for another go around", I say with a hint of uncertainty.

"It didn't look that way from the way he was acting", noted Sonic. "The both of you are just too stubborn for your own good."

And with that, they both began on their way. However, as they once again stopped as they reached the door, as someone was turning the knob from the other sideA streak of red burst through the corridor, and before I knew it, I was staring back into a pair of very familiar, purple irises.

There we were, staring at each other as if one had the answer to a question the other was seeking. It didn't take long before he answered it for the both of us in the form of a strong embrace.

As I'm about to apologize, he gently hushes me into silence. He whispers "I love you" while pulling me in for a sweet kiss.

I don't know how to describe what I was feeling from that point on. All I know is that I simply melted as what I had been denying myself came flooding back to me a hundredfold.

_I didn't want to be anywhere else._

I broke off our kiss a few moments later, when I suddenly felt an all too familiar object poking at my abdomen. I don't even bother to look down due to my level of experience, smirking as I realize what soon lies ahead.

"You truly missed me that much?" I teased. I gently traced a finger over the crescent shaped mark on his chest, before letting it wander downwards along is torso. He simply responded by grabbing my ass firmly, while pulling me close enough for his erection to brush up against me.

_It wasn't long before we were fully going at it, caressing and groping as if it would be our last. We heard the faint click of the front door as he began to rip away at my cat suit, only to soon forget it as we continued our passionate endeavor. _

_I think Club Rouge can stand a night off…_

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

Sonic and I both rush out of Rouge's apartment the instant it dawns on us what would be taking place. As I close the door behind us, I notice that he has the same flushed, rosy expression that I myself am currently sporting.

"Who'd have thought Knuckles could be so…**bold** like that", I said, still blushing.

"I knew he had it in him", Sonic replied. "Thank goodness that's settled…somewhat. But right now, you and I have more important matters to deal with".

Curious, I perk an eyebrow up and ask him what else could be as serious.

_He grins, while looking at me mischievously. "You owe me a back massage."_

_Phew! This was seriously one long ass chapter. 16 pages single-spaced, so imagine just how much that is double. This was also by far one of the longest gaps between an update, with nearly 2 months time passing between the previous chapter and this. Work, school, and general fatigue slowed the update down, so rushing to get this up probably wouldn't have been the best thing given all the aforementioned._

_Also, just thought you guys would like to know that we've just about reached the halfway point of the story. Only about a handful of chapters or more to go before this story finally comes to a close._

_As for the next chapter, the tranquility gets curved in favor for a little chaos and mayhem from our old pal Eggman. So stay tuned!_


	14. End of Another Calm

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_Cell phone is ringing._ The theme song of Twinkle Park can be heard quite clearly despite the fact that it's buried at the bottom of my purse. It takes me at least a couple of seconds to locate it as the ring tone suddenly cuts off. The caller ID states that it's Sonic, as his number is one of a close few which I keep in the internal phonebook. As I'm about to call him back, it notifies me of a voice mail, to which, after checking it, was in fact Sonic himself.

"_Hey, Ames._ _Just thought I'd let you know that I might not be on time for the appointment at the doctor's, so go on ahead without me. Something sorta came up at the last moment, so I have to tie up a few loose ends before I can get there. I promise I'll be there to pick you up afterwards. Bye."_

I pout a little bit as I replay his message one more time before deleting it. It was actually kind of soothing to have him with me at the more recent checkups, so I was really hoping he'd make it to this one too. But if it's something important, I understand. At least he took the time to tell me in advance.

_Maybe Eggman is up to something again…_

"Ms. Amy Rose?"

_Finally._ I get up and make my way towards Dr. Torinai's office, while passing Ms. Pricklin, the receptionist on the way. I force a smile in her direction, and she reciprocates with 'good day' as her greeting. That's how it's been ever since that little phone message mishap, along with the fact that I promptly proceeded to tell her off over the phone for making assumptions about my personal life. It gradually cooled down once she and Sara separately told me that she had experience in dealing closely with the clientele at the family planning center she had previously been working at. Apparently, it was somewhat of a rarity to have one of their clients walk in with their child's father/significant other, so seeing Shadow with me that day automatically added up to significant other.

It wasn't really funny at first, but I guess it is now that I look back on it…or _maybe _not. It's still a pretty rude to assume things.

By now, I've reached Sara's office and take my usual seat in front of her desk. This usually is the point where we go through a routine Q&A session, where any irregularities that I've noticed can be addressed quickly.

"Any discomfort? Unusual discharge?" she asks, with pen and clipboard in hand.

Those and many of her other questions are all met with the same firm 'no' each time. However, I think it might have been wise if I had said yes when she asked if I was actively recording a kick chart.

"C'mon Amy", she says, frowning a bit in dismay. "You're just about to go into your seventh month, so you need to be keeping track of your kids' activity is at this stage. A sudden decrease in activity could signal a possible problem, so it's very important that you're on top of this."

_She has a point – After that threatened miscarriage and the precautionary measures taken to prevent it, I need to be on top of things like this._

"I'll try harder", I promise her, while playfully gesturing to my protruding abdomen, which happens to be getting a few kicks and pumps during the whole dialogue. He or she doesn't move when I'm up and about, but they sure like to make a racket when I'm taking a rest.

Just as we're about to move on to the actual examination, I notice a white liquid that is quickly beginning to cover the floor underneath my seat. Thinking that it's coming from me, I let out a sharp shriek that startles the wit out of Sara for a few seconds.

"What happened?", she asks, with a concerned and serious look on her face. I then point down to the fluid and state that I think my water may have broken, as she carefully studies it for a few seconds. Afterwards, she reaches underneath my seat and pulls out a dripping bottle and a young hedgehog girl along with it, who's giggling in her grasp.

_Looking a bit closer, I come to the conclusion that this is Sara's daughter. You could definitely see the resemblance – same green streaks and face, but her fur was a silvery gray as opposed to her mother's earthy brown. _

Carefully, she brought herself and the girl down to the floor to the point where she was making eye contact. "Mommy's working now", she said in a gentle, yet firm voice. "But I promise that we'll play later. Work first, play later. Understand?"

The little girl nods her response (as she doesn't seem able to speak yet, before Sara ushers her out into the waiting room. "Strap her into her stroller, Pricklin", she instructs as she closes the door. "More firmly this time!"

It takes her a few minutes before she's back by my side, cleaning up the spilt milk. "She's going to be turning two within the week", she says while throwing the mess into the trash. "Terrible twos they call it, but I think she's been like that since she learnt how to walk." We both laugh at that, before I ask if she can say any words of yet.

"Two words, one good, and one bad. The first one is mommy, but the second is something I rather she not say in public. I'm still baffled as to how she picked up the curse word 'fuck', as I've avoided saying that while in her presence."

I couldn't help but laugh some more at that, since that does sound like it would make for some precious moments in public.

_Then again, I imagine our kid saying that too. While I try to refrain from cursing, I slip every now and then. Plus, there's the fact that Sonic can have a curse as every word in a single sentence when he's really worked up. Given all that, it's probably safe to say that our baby's already familiar with this colorful vocabulary._

Still laughing, we begin making our way to the examination room when the smoke detector goes off. Sighing, Sara begins to make her way towards the door to see what could be setting it off.

"I guess I might have to remind a patient's significant other that smoking is strictly prohibited in this build-FUCK!" Shrinking back while cursing in pain, she rubs the hand that was intended to open the door. "The handle is flaming hot!" she yelps, as I rush over to her side. Her hand doesn't look too bad since she pulled away quickly, but it looks like it might blister after it cools down.

Smoke detector going off and a hot handle are all clear indications that there's a fire in the building, with the latter inferring that it's directly on the other side of the door. And if that's the case, then…**oh my goodness!**

_The other patients, receptionist, and even Aria were on the other side of the door. _

By the time I had deduced this, Sara had somehow managed to open the door and scurry out into the smoke and ash that was quickly coming into the room. "Aria?" she screamed, while covering her nose with her lab coat. "Can you hear mommy's voice? Please **say** something…**anything!**"

I scurry on after her, but soon lose her in the thickening cloud of dark smoke and flames. I begin to call out her name and that of her daughter, in hopes that I might be able to reach one or both of them, but to no avail. Aria hasn't made any noise, and Sara's yells and screams for a response abruptly stop.

By this point, I'm more than worried – I'm **terrified**. The smoke is making it difficult to breathe, and my eyes are watering from all the particles floating around in the air thanks to the fire. I really want to find Sara and Aria, along with anyone else who might still be in here, but I also have to think of my own safety as well…

And with that, I quickly produced my Piko Piko Hammer, whirling it around until it created a funnel of filtered air. This succeeded in helping some of the fire and smoke die down, but not by much. More importantly, it provided me with a temporary visual of the surrounding area.

Two other patients are motionless, as well as the receptionist, who's slouched down in her seat. As the smoke begins to resurface, I create another whirlwind of air to try and locate the exit, at which I find both Aria and Sara. Like the others, they're on the floor and motionless, only Sara has her arms and most of her body wrapped around Aria as if to shield her from harm.

Now fearing the worst, I kneel down and attempt to find a pulse on the both, which is still apparently going strong. Relieved, I quickly go on to check on the others, as smoke inhalation can just as easily kill someone as being burnt alive. Everyone else seems to have been knocked out as well, and as the flames rise once, I begin to wonder if all of us can make it out safely.

_Suddenly, everything begins to blur. Thinking that it's the smoke building itself up, I try to create a gust of wind with my hammer to clear it out, only to find that my arms are too weak to even hold it._

_The room starts to spin, and as I drop to the ground, I see a glisten of metal sweep over Sara and Aria, and then finally, myself._

_As everything begins to go black, I hear a disturbingly familiar voice in the distance…_

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_**POP!** A balloon that Cream was trying to hang managed to blow up in her face. _She's flying around, trying to decorate the gala room at her house all by herself. And from the looks of it, she's pretty much done. Balloons and streamers everywhere, all leading to or highlighting a simple, yet elegant banner that has "Congratulations!" written in fancy type.

_Have to admit that it came out quite nice, even if she got a bit of help from me with the arrangement of the streamers._

Smiling, I take the time to reach into my pocket and look at the time on my cell phone. Called Amy a while ago and had to stall for time while Cream, Tails, and some of the other guests put the finishing touches on the decorations for her. We're having a surprise baby shower in her honor, and it's almost time to pick her up and bring her here for the party. While having the shower was actually Cream's idea, the surprise element was mine. I still feel pretty bad for the way I treated her after I found out, so I think this'll be a small way in which I can make amends.

_Besides, I think this'll be the first time that some positive energy has been shed on this baby for once…_

"Sonic?"

I put away my phone as I'm greeted by Tails, who's pushing what seems to be a technically inclined, yet _frilly_ baby carriage. "You think Amy will like pushing this around?" he asks, as he pushes a button that turns it into a car seat. Looks like it could pass as a miniature version of the Tornado 2 (without the wings), all decorated in a heavily decorated white fabric.

"Isn't all the fabric a bit over the top for something like this?" I inquire, though only for the mere fact that **_I_** don't want to be seen pushing that around.

"Well, the actual design and decorating part was done by Cream," he explained, "but the engineering on this baby was all done by me. Car seat, carriage, tricycle – you name it, and this can do it." He also threw in the fact that it was easier to build one of these things from scratch than buying one from a store and assembling it – which he tried and failed at miserably.

"Most of those consumer models can be death traps if you halfassed the assembly", he said, in a matter of factly tone.

_I gave him a weird look, but I know that he knows what he's doing. He wouldn't let any of us use one of his creations if he wasn't at least 99.9 percent sure that it wasn't going to malfunction._

Tails puts it back into carriage mode, and I walk with him into the living room of Cream's house where the other presents are located. A pile of colorful and assorted wrapped boxes and gift bags in every shape and size that nearly reach the ceiling, arranged to form a rising pyramid. You'd have to be blind to not notice it when walking in.

_Thankfully, it's going to be pitch black by the time I come back with Amy, so the lights off in the room and the night's elegance are bound to make the entrance more exciting._

As I once again check the time, Tails grabs the remote to the high definition TV situated within the room as he proceeds to plop down on the main couch. The screen begins to flicker on, but the audio instantly bursts in the mist of what seems to be a special news report.

"_Fire rips through a four story clinical building in downtown Station Square…" it stated, "Several people were taken to the Station Square Medical Center to be treated for second degree burns and smoke inhalation._

_Unfortunately, three people are unaccounted for, which include a patient and her doctor, and the doctor's child…"_

The screen finally fades in to the burnt and charred skeleton of this building, and as I take a better look, my heart instantly sinks into my sneakers.

_That was where Amy was…_

In a flash, I'm out the door, sprinting as fast as my legs will allow me. By the time I've reached what's left of it, the reality of what could have ultimately happened is already starting to make me sick.

_Amy…our baby...possibly either one or both of them…gone. _

And if it's not already obvious, my normally collected façade has given way to sheer and utter terror. I have to find her…them…no matter how bad it might be…

As I'm about to rush into the building, my cell goes off to the tune of Windy Valley. It was the tune that I had designated for Amy's cellular number only, so that instantly lifted any dreadful thoughts from my mind.

_Though I must admit, the relief was only temporary._

"Amy!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs. "Are you alright? Is the baby okay? Where are you? Please, just tell me that you're both alright…"

All I can hear is silence on the other side, until a subtle, yet familiar sound starts up. Very low at first, and it gradually builds itself up into a very mocking and condescending chuckle.

_Him. He did this..._

"_Long time no see, Sonic…I hope you don't mind that I invited your girlfriend and some of her friends over to my place for a little fun. A little bit of an early birthday party as it were._

_Don't wait up."_

Static is the only thing heard from that point on, so I hang up and call up Tails, who has by now seen the whole thing unravel on television back at Cream's place. As I'm filling him in on the details, one thing is painfully clear:

_This is going to be one party that Eggman will not be forgetting any time soon._

_**Author's Note:** At the end of the chapter rather than at the beginning? I needed a change. _

_But yeah folks, Eggman's back, and what he has in mind for Amy and the baby isn't necessarily anything good, especially if it's to further any of his twisted scientific research._

_And what of Sara and little Aria? Are they both alright? And if so, where would they fit into this?_

_Stay tuned for the next installment, where some really crazy shit hits the fan._


	15. Fall from Genius, Descent into Insanity

_**Author's Note:** Now that the holiday break is coming to an end, I think we should take a little bit of time to update this story. Especially given the fact that a new semester is just around the corner, as well as getting back into that crazy routine._

_But first, we have a few responses to some comments made, particularly about the amount of knowledge displayed throughout the course of the story:_

_The reason we know so much about pregnancy, sex, and the like is not because we've been through all of this scenario (since there are elements that we've each experienced personally), but because we did a good bit of research as we were going along, as well as the fact that I'm currently taking a course on sexuality (which makes for interesting little tidbits we can add)._

_Secondly, we wanted to be as accurate as we possibly could when dealing/talking about pregnancy, since it's been our experience when reading fan fiction depicting it that most are grossly inaccurate. Having a baby the day, week, or month after insemination does NOT happen in actual circumstances, unless you're going for the magical/demonic explanation…_

_And I think that covers most of what stood out for us. Also, as for this chapter, I have to warn you, there's some torture ahead, so it might just get a little bit ugly… _

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_Ugh…_

I slowly stir from my slumber, groaning as my eyes are greeted with a blinding light. My body is aching, but it's of little concern to me as my mind is in a complete haze - especially once I realize that I'm in an unknown, yet seemingly familiar area. The events of before are nothing more than an entangled blur, and as it slowly begins to unravel, I become more alert, paying more attention to my surroundings. Eager to get my bearings, I attempt to pull myself up into a sitting position, but can feel a force holding me back. A second attempt at getting up receives the same reception, and a quick glance down reveals leathery restraints around my waist, upper chest, along with metal shackles clasping each wrist.

_Trapped._ If I wasn't scared before, I was certainly now, as certain aspects of the room made things click for me:

_The humming and buzzing of several monitors and various forms of machinery. Two armed guard robots were stationed in front of the exit, which happened to have that horrible looking caricature of the person responsible. **Eggman.**_

_Speak of the devil. He just walked in._

His appearance is a bit different from what I remember of him; his tangled brown whiskers have taken on some hues of gray, while his once round face and figure are sagging in places where they once were firm. _The firmness might be more of a compliment, given his body type_. As he draws closer, I notice that he has somewhat of a limp in one of his legs. _He's definitely getting on in years._

"Ah, you're awake!" he exclaims, while brushing away a stray strand of hair from my face. "Little more than the course of a full day…"

I cringe back at his touch, feeling nothing but rising and immediate anger. "Don't touch me, bastard!" I shout back at him while trying in vain to escape from my restraints. I slouch back underneath them as what little strength I had was drained from the attempt, glaring at him with eyes that were quickly beginning to cloud and fill with tears.

He reaches over to wipe away a stray tear that had managed to escape. "Oh, come now, Amy. Is that really any way a person in your condition should be acting?"

"Bastard!" I scream at him, a bit louder than before.

He snickers, before quickly returning to a serious grimace. "You're one to talk", he sneers, while extending an index finger to point at my stomach. "Rather hypocritical, especially coming from someone who is carrying the bastard offspring of a **boy** terrified of commitment."

_I inwardly growl at him – calling my child…Sonic's child… a bastard? The nerve! _Frustrated, I somehow manage to swing one of my legs over and whack him good – right in the crotch. "Let's see you try to have some of your own then!" I tell him as he falls to his knees in pain. It takes him a couple of minutes to recompose himself, as that single blow to his testicles had pretty much knocked the wind out of him. "Serves you right," I tell him, smirking. It diminishes somewhat once he was back on his feet, but I manage to keep it up nonetheless.

_I didn't feel like giving him the satisfaction of seeing me frightened for whatever he planned to do._

_Little did I know that what was to unfold would frighten me for many nights to come…_

"You little…_wr_…_wretch_..." he manages as breath comes back to him. "You'd be surprised how advanced artificial insemination has gotten..." In a flash, he produces a pint-sized remote control, as his back is turned towards me, along with the various monitors situated throughout the room. "But, if you think you know otherwise, then explain to me how an illegitimate child _didn't_ come to be as a result of _this_."

A giant screen right across from us begins to flicker on, and while the image is still forming, my heart sinks as the sound is coming through loud and clear –familiar, yet muffled grunts and sighs, at varying strengths and intervals. I turn away in disgust, as a fresh set of tears begin to fall, already gaining a clearer comprehension of his previous statement.

"_I can't….Amy...I'm gonna…**ohhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!**"_

I don't need to look up to recognize the voice, since I already knew that it belonged to Sonic, or realize what it was that the both of us had been doing at the time – _making love_. Or rather, the conclusion of one of our sessions.

Being with Sonic in that way was and still is something special. _But knowing that someone had been recording and watching just cheapens it…and the thought of him watching every one of those special moments…just makes me feel like a cheap little whore. And the thought of him possibly deriving pleasure from it is just…_

I gag as I try to suppress a growing urge to vomit, chocking back the tears that are freely falling at this point.

_Having him spy on me or any of our other friends isn't anything new, but this… is a new low. _

The audio is still going as he tries to force me to look by grabbing my chin, but I continue to resist. He begins to get rougher by tugging on my bangs with his other hand, while attempting to silence my cries with the other. It starts to become difficult to breathe, as I'm gasping and wheezing from a combination of exhaustion and reduced intake of air. Growing frantic, I open my mouth and bite into what felt like fingers as hard as I possibly could, grinding and gnawing at it as if it were a piece of meat.

I'm rewarded for my effort with a sharp yelp and a slap to the face, but continue to hold on until he finally escapes my grasp. The audio abruptly stops, so I slowly open my eyes to see Eggman shrieked back in agony. It had managed to create a wound that was bleeding rather profusely, gushing from his hand and splattering onto the floor below. The aftertaste of his blood was also tingling within my mouth, intermingling with what felt like a mix of cloth and meat.

Instantly nauseated by the end result, I gag in disgust.

"**No more games!**" he yells in pain, using his elbow to tap a button on a control panel near by. Still applying pressure to the wound, he shouts, **"Retrieve and bring Guest B here immediately!"**

_Guest B? Who or what could that possibly be?_

"You should consider yourself lucky that I didn't have you thrown in the metal compactor for this lovely little mark", he states while looking for something to wrap his hand in. "But I need you and your progeny alive. At least, for now…"

At that moment, the chamber door opened. Sara is being dragged in by two Egg Pawns, each having a rather tight grip on her. She struggles to get free, but pauses when one of them lifts their weapon towards her face. "Amy!" she shouts, after seeing me strapped down. Once all three of them are standing in front of Eggman, they drop her with a 'thud', as one of them proceeds to pin her down with their heavy, steel foot. She lets out a muffled cry as her head hits the floor, nearly knocking off her glasses in the process.

"That's enough. Please return to your stations." He commands. Both salute him and promptly exit, leaving me, Sara, and the self appointed genius-turned-lunatic by ourselves.

"I'm going to need your medical expertise in tending to this," he declares as she gets to her feet. "One of two things that I'll need you for."

She refuses by crosses her arms and glares at him defiantly, and it's only just now that I realize that she had also been crying like I had. "**I want my daughter!**" she demands, taking a step forward. "What have you done with her?"

_That's right – we were both searching for Aria in that fire before everything went black. If Sara's here, then who knows what he's doing to Aria!_

His response – laughter. _Or rather, more like a low, controlled chuckle being emitted from within his throat_.

Still indulging himself, he shakes his head. "My dear Dr. Torinai, you are in no position to be making demands of me." Holding out his hand, he gestures for her to examine it. "Besides, I'd think it'd be best to adhere to mine…at least, if you _wish_ to see her alive."

_I would love to take that as an empty threat, but after these events, I can't be too sure. I can only hope she's alright…_

"**Monster!"** she screams, as frustration dominates her regular calm. She continues to protest until he reaches over and turns on that same monitor, replacing its earlier image with that of her daughter. Encased in a cylinder-like enclosure, she's crying and screaming "Mommy!!!" at the top of her lungs. With the exception of the former, she appears alright otherwise.

"Aria!!! Mommy's here!" Sara yells back. She runs over to the screen in anguish, but stops as it suddenly goes off.

"Other than that irritable screeching, you saw for yourself just now that your brat's fine." He states, once again insisting upon the examination of his wound, which is still bleeding. His face has also begun to take on a paler tone, showing that the loss of blood was finally catching up to him. "You might want to tend to me if you want her back."

He stumbles forward, as his bad leg buckles under him and falls to the floor. Sara rushes to him and begins to tend to his wound, attempting to administer first aid. She comes to the conclusion that he needs stitches, so he has one of his pawns fetch her surgical needle and thread, as well as disinfectant and a topical anesthetic.

"Where's that anesthetic?" he asks, amongst a few yelps in between each stitch.

"You…better not hurt my baby," she replies, oblivious to his inquiry. She tugs at the needle and thread harder than required and is greeted with a sharp whine. "If you hurt her I'll..."

"You'll what, Dr. Torinai?," he snaps back. "Once again, you are in no position to be making threats or demands."

Sara quiets down, but with even more contempt towards him than before.

It's not much longer before she's finished, as she finishes up by tightly wrapping the treated hand with gauze. "It's done", she says while wrapping the last of the gauze. "…I did what you wanted…

…so please, let me see my daughter."

The bastard takes the liberty of laughing once more, looking over his freshly bandaged hand as he settles down into a nearby chair. "Come now, Dr. Torinai, the fun has only started!" Pressing a button located on one of the arm rests, he calls for another of his drones, and within seconds, two smaller, sleeker versions of his Egg Pawns enters the room. Within moments, they're by his side, and by pressing another button on each one, a hidden compartment is opened. The first seems to have several various types of medical equipment. But that paled in comparison to the other – the sheer radiance and glow being emitted from it was extreme, and once Eggman reaches inside of it, the source became clear.

_A Chaos Emerald. _Make that two – he just pulled out another. They're both glowing brightly, and in all the time that I've known of their existence, I have never once seen them with such radiance unless being used to perform a miracle or transformation.

_Why would they be glowing now?_

For the next few minutes, he seems preoccupied with looking over everything set before him, before making another selection – a syringe attached to an abnormally long needle. He points to it, and then to a more than puzzled Sara, and in an instance, that garbage heap delivers the item to her. Once it's in her grasp, he says: "I'll need you more than ever, considering that my hands are tied."

His attention turns back over to me, with his little smile turned into a sinister grin. "It doesn't take a genius to see that I'm getting on in years", he starts. "So that means that I have a limited amount of time with which I can achieve my life's goals, if at all. As the years have passed, I've only narrowed them to two: complete world domination and the demise of Sonic the Hedgehog. Since it doesn't appear as if I'll completely achieve the first, I thought I'd opt out for fulfilling the second."

_I know full well that Sonic is capable of handling himself, but the thought of him being hurt or even killed scares me. Even more than ever now that we're on the verge of starting a family._

"Sonic won't stand for that!" I exclaimed, as my emotions once again get the better of me.

"Of course he won't." he agreed. "No matter how hard I've tried, nothing I've done has succeeded in accomplishing this goal. Even with the best of my machinery, I could barely make a dent in him.

But as you can clearly see, age is starting to take its toll on me, particularly on my eyes and hands. My eyesight is failing at a moderately steady rate, and it's already at the qualifying level of legal blindness." Pointing to his glasses, he continues: "Outside of this calibrated eyewear, my eyesight is on par with that of a bat's."

_Rouge would take grave offense to that._

"Moderate arthritis in unison with that also makes it difficult to perform delicate modifications to even the hardiest of my inventions.

So, as I'm unable to create and fine tune a machine that could accomplish this, I was forced to look into other methods…"

"What other methods?" I naively ask.

"Other areas of scientific endeavor" he replied. "One in which specially built machinery can easily do about 95 of the labor on its own. Particularly, in the area of biological warfare – with a strong concentration on the potential exploitation of certain genetic flaws within the hedgehog genome."

_Genetic flaws?_

"I initially thought of it upon a leisurely reading of my grandfather's notes concerning Shadow's creation. . . I was just going to catch him off guard and somehow get a sample of his blood to further this plan, but that has proven unsuccessful – he makes rubbish out of most of my pawns without so much as a scratch.

I did come close once – during the failed retrieval of a Chaos Emerald about a year ago…"

_Is he referring to what I think he is?_

"That was ruined the instant he attempted to save the life of some pathetic little urchin." he states, confirming my suspicions. "The sample that I managed to obtain was tainted, as a significant amount of the child's blood had mingled with his. I was able to separate it to a degree, but even with what I was able to decipher, I was only able to obtain an incomplete genetic sequence.

Yet, imagine my surprise when I discovered you were pregnant with his offspring! I doubt you're fully aware of it, but I believe that you also carry several of the links that were missing in his samples. Any offspring that the both of you conceive would theoretically have an almost complete sequence combining the two, which is **exactly** what I need."

"And..." he paused, while reaching for one of the emeralds, "to prove it, I'm test my theory right now by making use of 2 of the 5 Chaos Emeralds that I hold in my possession this very moment." Without a moment's hesitation, he undoes the restraint holding down my stomach, before forcefully lifting up my blouse and exposing the area.

_I want to scream out in protest, but the strength I needed to had mysteriously vanished. All I could do was stare back, helpless, as fear continued to grow with each second._

He presses the first emerald against my abdomen, with little to no concern for any discomfort to me, as I whine in pain. I grit my teeth, as the angle at which he's holding it makes it feel as if it would shred through my womb at any given moment. The radiance begins to increase, and the once cool surface of the emerald immediately begins to heat up, spark and fizzle. It soon becomes too bright, and I instinctively shut my eyes to prevent myself from going blind.

"Interesting", I hear him say, and soon feel the presence of another cool object being pressed against my abdomen. The second Chaos Emerald. It's already heating up at a similar rate to the first, and, once the familiar fizzle like the first is heard, I give out a sharp and terrified cry.

_Agony. Acute, sharp, and constant, and all coming from my abdomen and the surrounding area below it_. Felt as if something was trying to push itself out of me, with little regard as to what part of 'me' it came out of. And while it's trying to get out, I'm trying to keep it back in.

_Is this…what childbirth will be like?_

The pain is too much, and I yell out in protest. "STOP IT!" I exclaim. "STOP!"

"It should definitely be a sight to behold when you're actually experiencing true childbirth," he states, as he pulls away one of the emeralds. The pain slowly begins to subside, but not immediately. Ripples of agony are still traveling through me, with intervals of alternating relief and pain.

I look up at the bastard, who's stroking those wretched whiskers of that sagging, graying face while pulling away the other emerald. "I believe that proved my theory," he reflects. "Sonic is one of the few individuals who can harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds through sheer will and instinct. Judging from that fantastic little spectacle we just witnessed, I'd say based on _that_ alone that any of your children would _also_ have this instinct. I'd even go as far as to say they have a very promising aptitude for it, as a reaction to the Emeralds was created within the womb…"

He continues: "I'm more than convinced now that your progeny is the finest sample of his genetic structure that I can ever hope to get my hands on. A perfect genetic sequence makes it easier to zero in on imperfections and flaws within the genetic code. While most who study this generally have the intention of using such information to create cures and vaccines for pre-existing illnesses, I plan on doing the complete opposite – create a biological concoction so specific and unique, that it could only affect him and anyone else that was directly related."

_Oh my God…he's…_

"I haven't necessarily worked out the details of how it'd affect him personally, but I'm aiming for something that would paralyze him from the waist down and have him wasting away into an agonizing death.

And since I don't want a horribly flawed product, you and your progeny have been awarded the chance to test it out, if you will…"

_I've become emotional again, crying like I had before at this revelation. His previous attempts had only been carried out to try and prevent us from hindering his plans. But this was different. It was cold. It was ruthless. It was planned out and calculated to every little detail. I don't even think words can begin to express how scared I am for the love of my life and our child…_

"Oh come now, Amy," he says, while patting my protruding belly, "I hear the afterlife isn't all that bad. The food might suck, but that's a different story." Looking over to Sara, he continues: "I might have done my homework on genetics, but I'm no where near qualified in the area of caring for pregnant women and delivering babies. Even if I wanted to, my arthritis would be a great hindrance, as I specifically need to perform one specific test: a karotype. A procedure called an amniocentesis is used to extract a sample of the amniotic fluid in your womb with the use of a long needle inserted externally."

"I'm not letting you touch my baby!" I yell at him. "And if you lay another hand on me, Sonic's going to rip you in two!!"

"You should be grateful!" he shouts. "I was going to abduct any old doctor to perform this procedure, but dismissed it as the amniocentesis is a tricky procedure within itself – the smallest lapse in precision can create a series of tragic complications, which would prove useless to me as I need to insure that your offspring is carried and delivered at full term. And, as luck would have it, you happened to have your own physician, who not only is familiar with this procedure, but specializes in arising complications as well!"

Sara's eyes widened upon hearing this revelation, clasping the needle tightly while glancing over towards me, fear etched over her face. Trembling, she looks back down at the needle before allowing it to drop to the floor. "You're mad!" she shouts, backing away from him. "This breaks every principle within the Hippocratic Oath, and I refuse to have any part in it!"

He laughs again, louder than before. "Dr. Torinai," he chuckles, "How many times do I have to state that there's very little choice in the matter for you?" "Besides," he says while turning the monitors on again, "Your daughter's well being should be of more importance than if you _didn't_ help me."

Aria's image once again graces the screen, still encased within the glass tube. Her cries are still strong, but spaced out between one to the next. _Poor thing…if we get out of this, she's going to be sick…_

"Mom…my…mo..mm...y…," she wailed, while still keeping up hope.

"ARIA!" Sara shouted back, with the beginning of a new set of tears. Emotional, she turns to face our captor, alternating between fear and anger, before soon finding a balance amongst the two. "How can you do this to a baby?"

Eggman has a very smug expression across his face, and seemed to be enjoying this a bit _too _much. Holding up the remote again, he lazily traces a finger from his good hand, playfully tapping each button along the way. One muted Aria's anguished cries, and yet another increased her screams to an unbearable decibel.

_It took a couple of minutes, but he must have tapped nearly every single button on that damn thing. All of them except for one – a round button positioned right smack in the middle of it. He had every opportunity to press it, or at least, be inclined towards it, yet skipped it any time his finger could have brazed it. _

"Tell me doctor, have you enrolled her in swimming lessons yet?" he asks suddenly.

_Beep._ The button is pressed, and almost immediately, the warmth and color in Sara's features are flushed away. Falling to her knees, she no longer appears to have the mental and physical strength to move.

He presses another button, and my ears instantly pick up a high pitched shriek. Dreading what I was about to see, I slowly divert my attention away from him to have a full view of what was unraveling before us on-screen.

_If I hadn't wished something horrible on him for what he was planning to do to me, I certainly wanted it for what he was doing now._

Water has started to rush into the cylinder, with such a velocity that she couldn't handle. I closed my eyes, as I was truly disgusted with what he was attempting to do. _For all I know, his twisted geriatric mind could be planning to use her as a consequence…an example…_

"Bastard! She's going to drown if you don't stop it!" I shout, as the sound of coughing and chocking come to my ears. Tears falling, I reopen my eyes to see that the water level has already reached her neck, and still rising.

"**Enough."**

Sara – she's getting back on her feet, but not before picking up the syringe she had discarded awhile earlier.

"Enough already," she states softly. Walking forward, she's soon face to face with him. Quickly putting her head down, she mumbles, "Leave her alone and I'll...I'll will…" Turning her back towards me, she finishes her statement: _"I just need more time to reconsider."_

Almost immediately, Eggman shuts down the water and begins to drain some of it, leaving it halfway at Aria's midsection.

"You've worn my patience thin, Dr. Torinai," he states, while attempting to straighten his whiskers. "But…I'll give you a couple of minutes."

Pressing another button, the water begins to run and fill the cylinder, but at a significantly slower rate. "If you take too long," he explains, "I doubt that I'll be able to stop it this time, willing or not."

Sara doesn't seem to hear him though. She's looking right at me, and I can tell that she's not entirely in herself. Rational reasoning is giving in Mother's instinct.

It's telling her to save her baby. _At any cost._

And as all of this is happening, the bastard is**_ still _**smug. _If I weren't tied down, he wouldn't be smiling like that. Ever._

With the two Chaos Emeralds in hand, he limps over to my side. "So," he asks, "Where were we before?" He doesn't hesistate to once again apply the both to my abdomen, causing the agony I felt before to resurface with a vengeance.

"One whole day and Sonic's not yet here?" he states mockingly. "Seems fishy…maybe he doesn't want the responsibility?"

_Granted the way he found out was far from ideal, Sonic isn't the type to run away from responsibility. Even if he never told me how he felt, I would like to have thought that he would do the right thing._

I close my eyes while trying in vain to not cry out in pain. I may have cried before, but I don't want to give him the satisfaction.

_He's not getting away with this. Sonic's going to mop the floor with him. It's only a matter of time. He's always been there for me before. He'll be here…soon…_

_But until then, I have to remain strong. Strong for the life of our child._

I open my eyes, glaring at him defiantly, amidst a strained face. The pain is still increasing, and reaching levels that I never knew existed. I try and bite my tongue, but I've already reached my limit. Exhausted, and aching with agony, I let out a shriek so high pitched and precise, that it catches him off guard.

_Only to be met with one from him._

Both emeralds suddenly drop to the floor, and he stumbles back, then forward, before collapsing face first alongside them.

_Is he having a heart attack? Stroke? _

Inching myself over, I receive my answer. A syringe is sticking out of his back, and Sara's standing beside him, with an arm raised in his direction. She doesn't hesitate to smash in his wounded hand when he tries to reach for it, and promptly kicks it down before stomping on it once more. _With high heels. Ouch._

"Aggg…ggrr..," is all he can manage to muffle.

Sara backs away from him, but not before delivering a swift kick at the syringe, breaking it. Rushing to my side, she begins to undo my restraints, and I assist once my arms are freed.

"Let's go – Aria is already submerged!" she yells, while helping me down from the table.

_I don't look back at the screen, knowing full well that every second counted. Any second wasted idly could mean the difference between life and death._

I reach down to grab the Chaos Emeralds, while stifling back a cry. _That reaction is still going_. "Don't touch those!" Sara yells after me, "He was trying to fry you alive with them!"

"Maybe so, but I can't let him keep them!" I shouted back. "He's never used these for anything good, and it's brought chaos every single time." And with that, I put stash them away in my pant pockets for safe keeping.

Still in a good bit of pain, Sara lets me lean on her for support. She begins to help me towards the door, but as we're about to reach it, alarms start to go off. Looking back, Eggman's still sprawled out on the floor, with his precious little remote in hand.

_He's pretty messed up – _impact of the fall has caused his nose to bleed profusely. "You're…not getting out…alive…" he gurgles, with blood bubbling in his mouth.

_That's when I did something stupid. _I went back on my own power, leaving Sara at the door. Walking towards him slowly, I summon my hammer. _The Long Hammer._ _I only use it for long range combat, but I think that this time, I can make an exception…_

_**CLANG!!!**_

_You would have thought I cracked his skull, right? _

With everything he's put me through, I only place enough force into the blow that it knocked him out.

_I won't kill. It's just not in me… _

_It's not something I want to have to tell our child when they're older either..._

Sara's already gone ahead of me, and by the time I catch up, she's cornered by an armed Egg Robo. With one good **_BANG_** to the back, I soon draw its attention away from her and onto me.

"I can take care of this tin can!" I shout to her confidently. "Aria needs you right now! I'll catch up soon!"

_**CLINK!**_

_**BANG!**_

_**CRACK!**_

I waste no time in making quick work of it, and catch up with Sara in record time. She's stopped in front of one particular door, ramming it with her entire body. "My baby's in there!" she shouts. Sighing, she tries to ram it again, but barely taps it due to overexertion.

As I step over to lend a hand, I feel suddenly damp. Looking down, water is leaking out from underneath the door_. Not good. _

Taking a second to bring out the Long Hammer, I make quick work of the door's hinges, bashing them in before delivering a good blow right down the middle to crack it in two.

The next blow went straight towards the glass cylinder, which was very much full. Water splashes everywhere once the glass is shattered, with Aria going along with it. Sara reaches up to catch her, and gets pushed back by the sheer force of the water. They both land on the ground, with Sara holding onto her as tight as she could.

Quickly gathering her bearings, Sara wastes no time in tending to her little girl. "Aria?" she asks tearfully. "Mommy's here."

_She looked so...limp._

"Oh my god!" Sara shouts, "She's not breathing!" As I watch on in horror, she frantically begins to perform CPR, breathing gently into her mouth and nostrils, as well as massaging her chest to open her lungs up.

She repeats each step, and it feels like an eternity. And still, nothing.

…_she might not ever wake up. _

_Aria, no…_

"Aria!" Sara shouts, in between sobs. "Wake up…please…"

_The air suddenly felt thick and dismal, which sent a chill down my spine. I shudder, as something cold had just passed me. _

The fact that she may have passed already finally begins_ to _sink into Sara, as she stops CPR and scoops her up in her arms.

"I'm so sorry, honey," she sobs while holding her tight. "Mommy's here now…"

_Cough._

I thought I was imagining it, but Sara heard it too, with more following after it.

"MuM…mmy.!!!"

"Aria!!" we exclaim simultaneously. She's now crying as well, still coughing to get the water out of her lungs. Sara's helping her along in the process by patting her on the back, holding onto her as if she'll never let go again.

"Mommy's here…" she cries, overjoyed.

_While this is a very emotional moment, there's still one more thing that needs to be done: finding a way out. I might have knocked that heartless son of a bitch out, but only to buy us some time to find Aria. We need to start moving and quick – the alarm is still sounding, so Egg Pawns must be swarming the place._

"Sara, Aria", I start up, getting back to my feet. "We need to move very quickly and find the nearest exit."

As if on cue, two Egg Pawns immediately step in, their weapons aiming at us. They're inches away from our face, and one of them points their gun directly in Aria's face. Exhausted as she is, she still has the strength to cry.

_She and her mother have been through enough already._

_The second Egg Pawn follows suit, only this time, aiming directly at me. _

**Weapon will fire in T minus 10 seconds.**

**..9**

I raise my arm.

…**8…7…**

I snap my fingers.

…**6…5…**

Piko Piko Hammer in hand.

…**3…4…**

Slap one weapon away and up towards the ceiling.

…2…1…

Attempt to hit the one aiming at me and miss…but it aims upwards anyway.

…0

_**BOOM!**_

Both weapons go off, and discharge into the concrete ceiling above. Debris soon crumbles and knocks both units out, but it's too late – it's caving in.

As we try to make through it to the door, it completely begins to give way. Not knowing what would happen next, we prepare to brace ourselves for the impending impact, when I suddenly feel a familiar presence by our side. Someone I know. Care for. Love platonically.

As the ceiling finally gives way, I find myselfclinging next to someone with a familiar pair of crimson eyes.

_Shadow?_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks. It took 2 and a half months to do, but I think it's worth it. 14 pages single spaced and all. _

_Also, this starts the darkest set of chapters to come – and it's going to get a bit bloody._

_Sonic's voicing some fears about relationships and parenthood in this next one, and some of his severe guilt from previous chapters is coming back with a vengeance._


	16. A Nightmare Come True

_**Author's Note:** Well folks, after another two to three month gap, we're back with a brand spanking new chapter or two for your enjoyment. Thought we could at least get out two more chapters of the story to appease many of you who took the time to contact us about it either via PM or e-mail. It really means a lot to know that you guys are still reading and checking back for updates._

_Also, we would like to address something that happened awhile back concerning the reviews for this story. Someone saw fit to leave a racist remark in one of the reviews, which was signed anonymously. I would delete it, but unfortunately, that would in fact mean that I lose **all** anonymous reviews left for this story, which is the last thing I would want to do. Some of the best comments/opinions are signed that way, so it'd be a shame to lose all of those just to get rid of one._

_So with that in mind, we won't be turning off the anonymous review option at this point. This was obviously the work of a bored little twit/troll, so getting worked up is what they want, and we don't want that. So while we thank those of you who denounced that one comment, I suggest that you ignore this individual and not respond in the event that they decide to review again. _

_If this persists, then we will have to restrict reviewing access to those who have registered accounts, and if it that does come to pass, I highly suggest that you register for one. You don't need to post/write a story to register, and it only takes a few seconds at most. _

_Finally, we started a forum here on so that you guys can have a wider outlet to share your opinions and thoughts with us and other readers. It'll have discussions on the characters, with at least one topic devoted to each separate chapter._

_But, we digress, so on with the chapter!_

_Here's a head's up though – this **IS** Sonic's worst fear coming to life._

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_Click_. I securely lock the door to my apartment behind me, with my free hand fumbling around for the light switch. The living room and kitchen areas are immediately illuminated with a soft, dull light, and if I was in better spirits, I might have flicked on the second and third lights_. But I suppose I don't deserve that much at the moment…_

I let myself fall onto the couch, too tired to even bother with the idea of sleeping in my own bed.I could really care less right now; I'm burnt out from an evening of following false leads and meeting dead ends, with the hopes that something would get us closer to finding Amy and the others. That prick had the audacity to nab Amy's doctor and her kid as well, so there's more at stake than the rescue of one person.

Or rather, _persons_ _– there's still the baby to remember. And with that being said, that thought alone makes all of today's failures even worse._

Tails had come up with the seemingly simple idea of using my cell phone to track Amy's whereabouts; both of our phones are GPS-enabled so that we'd always know where the other was. Amy liked it to a degree, but told me she didn't use it as much as I would think. _Something about it 'taking the fun out of finding me' she'd say..._

But all came of that was locating her handset with its dying battery. At least, what was left of it. Eggman could have gotten wise and attempted to destroy it in order to throw us off. Or it could be that it was just sheer luck. Either way, we were already at a disadvantage…

After that failed, we tried to see if we could find any eyewitnesses that were around at the time. We asked around all over town, trying to see if anyone had seen the abduction and what direction they were going. Several people had seen Amy or the others at one point, but both separately and hours before anything happened. And even for the few who did witness the abduction, it was the same response – _too much ash and debris flying around to clearly make out anything_.

This in itself set us back significantly, as it was already dusk by the time we finally gave up on the idea. Tails was already pretty burnt out, and we'd even called in a few favors from Rouge, Knuckles and the Chaotix to help out. We were already as extended as we could possibly be (minus Shadow), so he suggested we'd call it a night.

Even though I knew we were both tired, I still suggested we head back over to his workshop to see if we could flesh out what little information we had. We ran in circles so many times afterwards that he finally called it quits. He offered to let me stay over so that we could get back to work right away, but I declined, saying that I might find something on the way back to my place.

I made a couple of detours on the way, with the first being Cream's place. Even though it was pretty late, Vanilla was kind enough to let me check in on her. It almost goes without saying that the baby shower was postponed, but Cream was another thing. _Poor kid had been crying ever since Tails broke the news to her over the phone..._

Next stop was the Chaotix's office, but that proved unproductive – they hadn't discovered anything that would be worthwhile in following up on.

After that was Rouge's place, though it probably would have been wise to have called first. I'm pretty sure she was screwing Knucklehead's brains out when I got there, since she never invited me in. _There was also the fact that she looked as if she was completely naked from the waist down from what I could see behind her, as well as the pants and sighs coming from beyond the door…_

Like the Chaotix, she hadn't really come across any new information, though she did let me know that she was compiling a list of all the recently known hideouts that Eggman has made use of. She figured that each must have cost a fortune to build and maintain, so it would be unlikely that he would give up complete usage altogether. Some of them were in more favorable conditions for repair than others, so she was trying to rank them in terms of their operating condition, damage estimates, etc. She pushed me away quickly after that, promising to call me and Tails when it was done, though I knew she was just eager to resume whatever sexual activity I had pulled her away from.

Amy's apartment was my last stop before going home. I had no trouble letting myself in, since she had given me her spare key. _Rather sweet of her, considering I've yet to give a spare to mine. _Was hoping if maybe something she had left behind might help us out. But all it did was make me feel worse Everything reminded me of her, from the hint of her favorite perfume in the air to a hairbrush on the dresser.

I would have lost it altogether if I hadn't wandered into the bedroom. Just looking at the bed reminded me of all the wonderful nights of passion the both of us had shared...the warmth…_the love… _

I might have dwelt on it a bit further if I hadn't noticed what was carefully positioned by Amy's side of the bed. _A bassinet, decorated in frilly, light blue lacing. _Cream and Vanilla had brought it over as an early baby gift when she was still restricted to bed rest. Vanilla had gotten it for Cream when she was a baby and she quickly outgrew it, growing 'faster than grass' as she stated. Both of them thought it would be perfect to have for the baby until we were able to clear some space for a crib.

It's a good thing that they brought it over since it was one of the few things that cheered Amy up. She was very upset about nearly losing the baby, believing it to be fate's punishment for wishing she had never gotten pregnant. I couldn't understand her pain until she finally revealed that she had weighed abortion as an option when she first learned she was pregnant. She said she only considered it because she wondered if it would have made me happier…made things easier for our relationship, later asking about what my initial reaction would have been _if_ she had.

_I think the color draining from my face was a better statement than anything that could have been said. _She said no when I asked if she would have done it for herself rather than me, so I reassured her that doing something she didn't want for my sake wouldn't make me happy in the least, regardless of what was going on. It was true that our relationship had hit a rut back then, but we were able to get through it. The last thing I ever would have wanted was to have her regretting something she had done for my sake or well-being.

_We weren't ready for this. She wasn't ready. And me…well, you get the picture. Regardless of the circumstances and the results, we're in this together and I'd be damned if I abandoned her now after all that we have been through…_

And if touching upon that topic wasn't sensitive enough, she finally came out and asked me the one question that I've been trying to answer myself since learning about the baby: _**"Do you want to become a father?"**_

It doesn't take much to realize that she might still bothered by my initial reaction and behavior after finding out. Who can blame her? I went out of my way to avoid her whenever I could, only spending time with her to make sure she was alright. Then there's also the fact that I pretty much inferred that she had been unfaithful and conceived the child through intimate relations with Shadow – which, not only insults her dignity and perverts the simple fact that she and Shadow are close friends, but ultimately insults the child as well. That's basically saying that I don't want it at all, and on the flawed logic that I had no hand in helping her make it whatsoever.

And these are just _my_ thoughts. I can only imagine how the baby would feel if I had said that to them directly. It'd probably succeed in making them feel worthless by the mere suggestion that they simply weren't wanted by their father in more ways than one. I'm basically denying any credit or responsibility towards their conception while also saying that their 'true' father was more concerned about their own carnal desires than being concerned about them.

_But…that doesn't quite answer the question, does it?_

I apologized to her for my behavior and attitude after finding out, and start out by telling her that I _didn't want_ to become anyone's father under any circumstance, even if I wanted to have children willingly later on in life. I told her that I felt that even if I wanted them, I was afraid that they could never grow up normally; my status in the world had always put anyone I had ever held dear in more danger than the average person, including one that I wasn't able to save…

"So you don't want to be a father because you don't want to care for and love your children?" she asked, albeit with a touch of venom on her tongue. "Or is it…,"she continued, "the simple fact that you're just afraid of committing to a different type of love? I know it took you ages to finally admit that you loved _me_. It's a very wonderful feeling when you think about it…but if you love me, how much harder would it be for you to love _our_ child, who was created as a result of it?"

She's starting to tear up, so I stopped her right there stating that I wasn't finished with my answer. I let her know that what I had said simply summed up what I had believed and felt for the longest while until recently. All changed because of this weird feeling I was having – a warm fuzziness first felt when I first learned that she was pregnant. I only felt it for a moment as the initial message on the answering machine soon succeeded in turning it into anger and hurt.

That was pretty much all I could feel until I learnt she might be losing the baby. It came back stronger, mixed in with the bits of despair and worry I felt when it was all happening and only became consistent the moment we were informed that the baby wasn't in any significant danger. I admit to her it felt good, but all the negative feelings I had experienced till that point had overtaken it until then.

She smiled after that, explaining that the 'fuzziness' I was feeling is exactly what she's been feeling for awhile too. "Does it feel so warm and good that you think you're going to burst at any moment?" she asks. I nod a simple yes as she continues: "I think you've been in love with the baby from the start. You've just been too stubborn and silly to admit that to yourself or to me until just now."

The period of silence afterwards further supported her conclusion. I can't deny that I care for the baby. No denying it whatsoever. But that fear of losing those close to me made me feel as though I could never love someone to that extent if I couldn't protect them properly…

…_until I realized that shouldn't matter as long as I did my best. _I realized that the love I had for Amy and our friends had always been enough to aid me in protecting them the best I could. What's to say that loving a child wouldn't enable me to act in a similar fashion?

I reveal of all of this to her and she says that she had been waiting for me to state that all along, as she believes that feeling alone is going to make me a great father.

"At first, I thought that you were taking care of me because you felt you needed to do the right thing." she says tearfully. "I thought that you were putting on a brave front in order to make me feel better about having a child that you seemingly didn't want…

But now, I know that you're just as excited and scared about having this baby as I am, if not more, and that you wouldn't be here if you didn't love the both of us."

…

Stirring within the armchair, I felt something slightly sharp brush against the left side of my chest. Reaching for it, I hold it up and realize that it's the sonogram from the very first time I accompanied Amy to one of her appointments. I must have grabbed it when I stopped by her apartment earlier…

_I would have set it on the table, but I opted to hold onto it. It might be the only thing that might help me fall asleep._

…

"_**DAMN IT SONIC! STOP BEING A CHICKENSHIT AND OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!!"**_

_Amy?_

I soon realize that we're both in some type of operating room filled with medical equipment. Amy's in front of me and sprawled out on a reclining hospital bed, attached to a duel heartbeat monitor as a precaution. It's meticulously monitoring the heart rate of both Amy and the baby; if the heart rate of either or both rose or fell to a certain level, a C-section may be necessary for the safety of both.

A crumpled pile of tissues are scattered nearby , but more so to wipe her face down than drying up tears; she's sweating as one might on the hottest summer day. Weeping, she tenses up while clamping down on my right hand like a bear trap. I know that I should be trying to help her relax and focus, but I'm screaming alongside her in agony. The sheer force that she's exerted into my hand is excruciating - enough to make me believe that she could have easily broken my hand right then and there if she so chose.

But luckily, she doesn't. Panting heavily, her grip weakens as she falls back onto a pillow behind her. "Another one over..." she mumbles, trying to catch her breath.

"Thank God!" I exclaimed, while generously rubbing some feeling back into my hand. _Not necessarily a smart thing to say; Amy gets snippy at me over the fact that the pain I'm feeling is no where near what she's going through right now. _

"I feel like I'm being split at the spine and you're whining about lacking feeling in your hand?" she asks. "Are you kidding? If you think that this is _so_ easy, then maybe you should take this thing and try pushing it out of your pe-NISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Screaming at the top of her lungs, it didn't take much to realize that another contraction had started. I'm starting to get worried since the contractions are getting closer together with little or no progress in the labor.

_But it should be okay. This kid is being brought into the world by a woman who's never known the meaning of giving up. It's rather surreal, since it wasn't all that long ago that I couldn't see myself with Amy. The giddy little girl that always used to follow me around is now the sweet, caring woman that I've given my heart to. A woman who has given me her heart from the first day we met._

_A woman who has given me both her body and soul, and who is now working to give me the highest gift that anyone could ever hope to receive: a child._

So many things are rushing through my mind right now. What the baby looks like, or whether or not it's a boy or girl. Who they might take after in terms of personality and appearance. What they might be when they get older. Things that I never thought I would experience until now

But thankfully, I don't have to wonder about that last thought for long, as Dr. Torinai comes in to check in on Amy.

"You're just about fully dilated, Amy," she states, while scribbling a few notes on a clipboard. "It shouldn't be too much longer from here on in, so I'm going to ask you to push down in between contractions."

Amy's obviously not happy with that request, since she's been using the time between contractions to rest and regain her composure. "Can't I push during contractions?" she asks weakly.

"You could if you want", she replies. "But unless you're willing to have an episiotomy performed, I'd highly suggest that you push in between. The natural strain of a natural contraction combined with any added efforts on your part might cause unwanted vaginal tearing.

But if you insist on doing it _**that **_way…I can simply widen the birth canal with a simple vertical incision along the vulva."

Upon hearing that, Amy was more than willing to cooperate with the doctor's instructions. While getting ready for another contraction to hit, she asked if Cream or any of our other friends had made it to the hospital. Dashing to the door, I do a double take before dashing back to tell her no one is here yet. "Cream should have been here by now!" she cries, just as another contraction begins. "What's taking her and everyone else so long?"

"Ames, calm down." I say softly. I wipe away the a few stray tears from her face as I pull out my cell phone. "I'll call up Cream and see what's keeping her and the others, okay?" As I dial the number, I give her a light kiss on the forehead before making my way out into the corridor. "I'll give a shout to Tails to in case I can't get a hold of her, so don't have that baby until I'm back."

"That's easy for **YOU** to **SAY!!!!!!**!" she shouts after me.

As I close the door, I realize that I've gotten Cream's voicemail, so I leave a message asking her to call back and let the others know that the baby is almost here. I also mentioned that they all should 'hurry up' – it's bound to help Amy lots if she's surrounded by people that she knows and trusts.

Just as I'm about to finish, I realize Cream had recently left a voicemail, stating that she'd be here as soon as she could. She mentions that she's stopping by her house to drop off her violin since I called her in the middle of band practice. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick up sooner, Sonic," she says apologetically. "I knew I had a call since I felt the vibration, but I couldn't – the band director hates mobile phones and would have confiscated mine if I had answered. But _anyway_…**congratulations!** I'm so happy for the both of you, and I can't wait to see and hold the baby. See you later!"

As I save Cream's message, I take a quick glance at the time displayed on my cell's primary screen. _7:56 p.m._ A bit weird since I always imagined that extracurricular activities never ran past five or six in the evening. Unless her school was having some type of special function, I'm fairly certain that she would have been free by 5:30 p.m. at the very least. Or, it could just simply be the fact that she lost track of the time; she could have finished up her practice and hung out with some friends before she actually got around to checking her voicemail.

_Oh well. I'm sure there's nothing to be worried over. She did call back and leave a message, so she should be here sooner or later…_

I dialed Tails' number and it rings before going to his voicemail, so I hang up and dial again. I figure it's worth a second shot as Tails has a habit of totally spacing out whenever he's concentrating on one of his projects; there have been several times in the past where we've all gotten the answer "_Well, I was here. I just didn't hear the phone ring._" as an excuse.

Second time's the charm, as the line is picked up on the other end. "Tails?" I ask excitedly. "You there, buddy?" A brief mixture of silence and static is heard on the other end until I hear a faint cough.

"Tails?" I ask again, growing a little impatient.

"Sonic, hey!" is the response I get.

"You okay, pal?" I ask him, a little worried with the pause. "Sounds like you had to think about saying hi for a second, y'know?" I chuckle. "But anyway, I'm calling again to let you know that the baby's almost here. Cream and Vanilla should be here any minute, but I haven't heard anything from you or the others. What's holding you up?"

_Did I really have to ask? Most likely some quirky little side project he thought up in a daydream._

"That's great, Sonic…real great…" he says, as if trailing off into a distant thought. Was about to ask him if there was something wrong, but he beat me to the punch: "Listen…one of my projects when haywire and I had an accident, so I'd need to clean up a bit around here."

He coughs, not once, twice, but three times, as if to clear his throat. "Are you okay Tails?" I ask with concern. "You sound like you might be getting sick."

"No", he says firmly. "Just getting over a cold I had last week. But if you're wondering where Cream is, she's over here as well and she's well…upset. Apparently something happened between her and this boy she knows, so needs to vent to someone, since she doesn't like to talk to Vanilla about this and well, Amy's…you know.

Anyway, I need to hang up. Take care of Amy and yourself, okay? Bye."

I cock an eyebrow up as he proceeds to hang up on me. _"What the FUCK was that?"_ I ask myself. I know that Tails can get pretty hasty and rush you along when he's in the middle of something, but this is a new record on that count. _It's almost as if he didn't really want to talk..._

On top of that, why would Cream be over at his place this late right now? After all, she said that she was coming over here as soon as possible, so she should have been by now at least. Tails' workshop is also a good distance from both her house and the hospital, so she'd actually be going in the opposite direction.

Plus, if all of this wasn't weird enough, there's the fact that even after all these years both Cream and Tails don't know each other too well. Between Amy and myself, the only time those two would actually be together is if they're with one of us – like me hanging out with Tails while Amy's having a heart to heart with Cream under the same roof.

_So with that in mind, I kind of doubt that she'd be running to Tails to pour her heart out concerning some guy she might like._

I try to brush those thoughts to the side as I redial his number, once again getting his voice mail. Redial it again, and it sounds as if the receiver was picked up, but all I get is silence.

"This is getting a bit weird", I say to no one in particular. "Tails, what was up with that just now? You and Cream wouldn't happen to be inhaling toxic fumes over there, would ya?"

_Silence. _

"Okay Tails, you got me", I tell him. "You had your little joke, so speak up. What's up with Cream, and why aren't the both of you here yet?"

More silence.

"Damnit Tails! Say something!"

I would have pressed him further to speak, when I started to pick up the faint noise of someone sobbing. "Cream, is that you?" I inquire, wondering if it had anything to do with the boy troubles Tails had mentioned. "If it has anything to do with some little punk, you just say the word and I'll put him in his place…Cream?"

_The sobbing has only gotten louder as it overtakes the silence and static, and it's only as it increases in volume that I can hear the deepness in pitch. Cream has always had a higher pitched voice, so that can only leave one other person…_

"_s…son-Sonic!!!" is yelled on the other end. No doubt about it now – that was Tails, and something isn't right._

"Tails?" I ask, with the sense of worry evident in my voice. "What happened? What's going on? Are you and Cream alright?"

"Cream is…Cream's…she's…d...dead…" he manages amid sobs. "He killed her and now he's…he's...wait no don't!"

_**BANG!!!!**_

My quills are standing on end as the line goes all but silent, with static being the only thing to know that the call hasn't been dropped. "TAILS!!!" I scream frantically. I can only pray that what I had just heard was simply a figment of my imagination. **"TAILS!!!!!!!!"**

"…_he shot me...h-he's not…finished...please don't leave Am…NO!!"_

_**BANG!!!!**_

"_**TAILS!!!!!"**_ I scream into my phone, but it's too late. The call's ended. Frantically, I redial his number and it rings, but I get the automated disconnected message. Try again and get the same.

"_Sorry, but the number that you have dialed is either incorrect or disconnected. Please hang up and try again."_

As I fight back tears, I re-enter the delivery room to find that another contraction has hit, but with little to no progress since I left. The only advancements made so far being that Amy is now 'bearing down', with her knees bent and feet in stirrups for support. "I'm so happy that you're back!" she whines, grabbing onto one of my hands for support. "I don't think I can do th-isSSSSSSS……"

I try my best to be happy, but she instantly sees right through it. "Something's wrong…isn't it?" she asks, reading me like a book.

_I'm about to let her know what I heard over the phone, but I hold back. She's in the mist of giving birth to our child to which it was no easy task in carrying. We've had a few significant scares along the way, and I can't imagine how this might affect her and the baby this very moment. It might be best to keep her in the dark right now…at least until the baby's born._

Still trying to play it cool, I lovingly squeeze her hand while trying to crack one of my signature smiles. "I know this isn't a good time, but I have to check up on Tails. I think he had some kind of freak accident over at his workshop that knocked him out."

"WHAT!" Amy shouted, in mid contraction. "Is he hurt badly?"

"To be honest, Amy, I'm not sure. This is why I'm going over there to find out."

"You're leaving!" she cries. "AHHH!!!! The baby's almost here! Please don't leave M-EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" Her head falls back on the pillow as she tenses up, teeth clenched as she supports herself on the bed's support beams. "…please…don't leave…"

Dr. Torinai is nearby and coaching her on, counting backwards as Amy concentrates. "Hold onto that breath, Amy and push!" she ordered, carefully checking to see how far along the baby was. "The baby's crowning, so it shouldn't be too much longer now."

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and pause, before leaning down towards Amy and pulling her into a passionate kiss. "I hate to leave you right now", I start, "but I think something's wrong over at Tails' place."

_I don't think. I think I already know…something is seriously wrong._

As I kiss her again, I gently rub her belly, as if giving a signal for our kid to stay put for the time being. "I'm taking a few minutes to check it out, okay?"

"Okay", Amy reluctantly agreed. "But you better be back here so-OOONNNNNNN!!!!!!!"

"I will!" I promise, going in for one more kiss before dashing out the door.

…

With my focus now on keeping that promise to Amy, I waste no time in making it to Tails' workshop. It's already dark outside, but no lights are on. _Very weird, considering that Tails' usually doesn't get to bed so early; he's usually tinkering with a few things in his workshop, which also happens to be dark. Maybe he blew a fuse._

Given how much he uses it, I decide to make my entrance through the workshop. Mainly due to that and the fact that he also keeps the door open, as he's in and out of it regularly. As I enter, my eyes have a difficult time of adjusting to the lack of light. Absolutely pitch black, so I try to find the nearest light switch by feeling my way against the walls. I find one, but it merely turns on a faint red light.

Thankfully, that crappy little light allowed me to locate a flashlight, so I eagerly grab it up to use instead. Once turned on, I start to shine it around, looking both for anything that might help me find those two. A quick shining in the workshop reveals nothing out of the ordinary – just the typical mess of projects scattered on the workbench, as well as piles and stacks of various calculations and theories Tails has overlooked.

Satisfied, I start to make my way into the house, starting by the front door. As I shone my flashlight around to make a path, I eventually covered the areas of the kitchen, first floor bathroom, and living room before I make my way upstairs. After carefully checking all the guest rooms, there's one room left: Tails' bedroom.

The door's closed, so I feel around the corridor until I find the doorknob, turning it to make sure that it's not locked on the opposite side. It's unlocked, but has something pushed against it on the floor to prevent it from completely opening. Another attempt at opening the door shows that it's not a completely grounded weight, so I back up and ram the door. It opens the door a couple of inches, so I continue ramming until I open enough it to slide in.

Gripping the flashlight, I gently begin to ease in through the narrow opening, pushing one foot inside the room while using the other to keep balance as I continue. When I'm almost inside, I trip over something soft and heavy, falling onto a wet and sticky pool of fluids as I hit the floor.

_I don't quite know what it was that I fell into, but one thing's for certain: it's not water. Or if it is, it's not clean water, since that has a tendency to dry up without usually feeling thick and sticky. The rich scent of copper is vaguely familiar... _

Getting up, it dawns on me that I fell in a decent amount of this mystery liquid. The few efforts made to wipe it off my face and hands haven't gotten anywhere either, so I start to feel around for my flashlight. It's still on, having fallen directly next to the 'weight' that had nearly prevented my entry into the bedroom. I reach down to grab it, but jump back in shock once both the unknown liquid and weight are illuminated. The 'weight' is the origin of the liquid, which not only has spread across the plane of the floor a considerable distance, but is smeared upon my body as well.

"CREAM!!!" I screamed, jumping back at the horrific sight. _Or what was left of her rather_. The ears were probably the only indication thanks to the grainy quality of the flashlight's glow. Blood was trickling from her mouth and her eyes were open, but they devoid of any warmth and feeling; they were focused on something, but with a precision equivalent to that of a toy doll – forever fixed to see, yet seeing nothing at all. She was in her school uniform, that while normally being white and grey was saturated with her blood. From the way she was sprawled out on the floor, you could tell that she had been squatting or kneeling, or that whatever force responsible for ending her life came from the front rather than the back.

_That was probably the reason her eyes had remained open – she was staring down her assailant while taking her last breath. _

As the reality of this tragedy begins to sink in, I remember the person who had ultimately aroused my suspicion: _**Tails.**_ If _this_ happened to Cream, what the hell happened to him?

It's not long before I get my answer, as I soon find Tails sprawled out in a similar fashion next to his bed. He's more or less in the same shape as Cream, but with a clearer indication as to what possibly happened to the both of them. They must have been shot, with Cream being the first to go; the blood surrounding her has spread out farther and was drying up judging from how quickly what had splattered on me had dried up. Tails' message also supports that…

"TAILS!!!!" I cry out, hugging his limp shell of a body. "NO!!!!!" As I continue to hold onto him, I feel slightly warm air brushing against my chest. When it's followed by a weak cough, my face instantly brightens up – he's still alive.

"So...on...Sonic?..." he wasps, as some blood trickles out of his mouth. "…you…shouldn't be here…"

"What are you talking about Tails?" I cry out, frightened. _That last sentence alone is enough to convince me that he's fading away…_

"I'm here, bro", I tell him as I scoop him up in my arms. "There's nothing I can do about Cream", I admit tearfully, "but there's still time to help you out. We need to get you to a hospital immediately!"

Lifting him up seems to have done more damage than good, as I soon realize that the shots had gone _through_ his body, with his back just as soaked through in blood as his chest was. Even with this revelation, I still kept the positive outlook. "Don't worry man", I say, while slowly stepping forward to test his endurance. "You're going to be okay."

"Let's face facts here, Sonic…" he coughed. "I'm not going to make it…he got me good in one of my lungs and midriff…on top of that, _I can't feel my legs…_"

_The last part of his statement struck a chord and hard. He's paralyzed? _"Who's the son of a bitch who did this?" I growl, the anger and rage rising in my features. "I'm gonna…" and stopped short, remembering what was at stake. "You're not paralyzed…the loss of blood is making you feel numb. We'll get you fixed up good as new."

"Sonic, please," whispered Tails. His eye lids seemed as if they were growing heavier with each breath. "…listen and listen well, because I'm not going to be able to repeat this once I'm done.

...the one behind all this is Eggman. I don't know when or how, but he's completely snapped...he went mad when he realized how easy it was to…defeat people with a simple handgun instead of building his crap robotics..."

More blood is coughed up, but he continues: "…the whole reason Cream is lying over there is because Eggman stopped over by her place and…and he killed Vanilla…he waited for her, so she ran to my workshop for help...

…she knew you were closer, but she realized that by seeking you out in person, she might be endangering the lives of the people at that hospital, which includes Amy and the baby….

…she made it over here, and we thought it'd be two against one geriatric…_fart_ with a handgun. More like a handgun _and_ shotgun…

…when you called, I tried to tip you off to what was happening, since he had only shot Cream just as I missed your first call. She…was still breathing when I was talking to you, but when you called back…he shot her again.

I…pretty sure that you heard those rounds fired, just before I was try...ing…to…o…"

"Trying to what?" I ask, as I let my tears flow freely.

"…I was…trying to let you tell you that he was on his way to you and Amy…over at the hospital." He finished. "…you fell right into his trap – he knew that you'd come over here if you were worried enough, leaving Amy and the baby alone…

…he _knew_…"

With his eyes completely closed, he shouts: "…GET OUT OF HERE! THIS IS JUST WHAT HE...wanted!!! Don't…let him…get the baby or Amy…he's…killed all our other friends…

…just…GO!!!!"

"Tails?" I ask, grabbing hold of his left hand. "Don't do this…you're going to make it!"

With his eyes still closed, he squeezed my hand as hard as he possibly could, before saying the following:

"…you're the best big brother I could ever want…don't let me down and let that creep get away with this…

…_go…"_

Silence.

_Eggman. _That was the one thing running through my mind as I made the mad dash back to the hospital. Dashing up the stairs. Twisting through corridors. All the while thinking of how ringing his little chicken neck wasn't suitable to avenge the deaths of my friends…

I come to a stop in front of the delivery room that I had left Amy, noticing that the door is closed and all has gone quiet. _Too quiet_. Having seen the horrors back at Tails' workshop, I waste no time in performing a Spin Dash into the door. The moment I'm on the other side, I'm greeted with the gruesome sight of blood splashed _everywhere._ On the floor, walls, and lights. Even on the medical equipment.

"…sonic…"

"AMY!" I shout out, hoping to be heard. I rush towards the back of the room, where her bed was situated, and froze. "_**No…**_"

Amy was half on the floor, and half on the bed, which was tipped over enough for her to have fallen off it. Blood was soaking up her hospital gown, with the bulk of it coming from her abdomen, as well as between her legs. She was still somewhat alive, compared to Dr. Torinai, whose limp body lay at Amy's feet in a fetal position.

"Well, well, well. It's about time that you got back here. Hope you gave Tails and Cream my best regards."

_**Him.**_

"You…bastard", I angrily muttered. As I carefully prop Amy up against the fallen bed, I stand up, putting myself face to face with the shadow of the maniac responsible for this senseless rampage. "What I'm about to do now I should have done long ago – sending you on a one-way trip to **HELL!**"

He slowly steps out from behind a surgical curtain, with pistol in hand. Dried blood graces his facial features, with enough of it having been splattered to temporarily dye his graying mustache reddish brown. "If you were so intent on sending me to hell", he begins while idly polishing his gun, "we wouldn't be here right now, and none of your friends would be dead."

Pointing to Amy, he continues, "Or in her case, having a _stillborn _child and dying of a broken heart."

…_Stillborn? Oh sweet Chaos..._

"Look around you," he waves, gesturing to the bloodied walls and floor. "I don't think there's a spot in this radius that your child hasn't…_touched_ with their being."

_Once the meaning of his double entendre hits me, I'm overcome by the strong urge to vomit, and do so, both horrified and disgusted by this sordid revelation. _

"After all these years, I never realized how frightfully easy it was to rid myself of the whole lot of you with just a mere handgun as the solution." Pointing it at my face, he continues: "All the years…time that I've wasted in trying to create a machine so intricate and detailed to carry out your demise, and it's simple as this. Such a disgrace..."

_Still vomiting, I've covered my mouth in an attempt to suppress the urge, but with little success. All the while, I'm glaring nothing short of daggers on fire at him._

"You have some of the strongest allies that have ever graced the world as allies and friends, and nearly all were undone by a few bullets. It comes as a shock when someone as strong as Knuckles can't even take a simple bullet to the _heart_...

The only one who did give me trouble was Shadow, who besides you could have been the only other being to have stopped me before I got this far. It was a bit of a gamble, but having his best friend Rouge die in his arms was apparently more scarring to him than Maria's death. He raged initially, but tired out quickly. The only one besides your little broad here that's still alive, since an immortal has this annoying little resistance to bullets…

But ice and cold work wonders. If you ever want to visit, just look him up in the freezer section of this hospital's morgue."

He pauses for a moment, before producing some bullets, loading them into his gun. I take notice of this, seeing this as my chance to rush his ass all at once and end this, once and for all. But he's wise to it, as he points the gun in Amy's direction once more.

"Don't make me finish her off," he warns, cocking the safety back. "I was generous enough to spare her…given all that I've taken from you. Your friends and your would-be family. Though even if she does live through this, I would think she'd have a hard time with conceiving and carrying a child to full term, if at all." Pointing to the massive red stain that is her belly, he adds: "There's a 50/50 chance that she's sterile."

With the safety still cocked, he takes his aim from Amy, instead positioning it against the left side of his head. "I've envied you since the day we first met; you always knew what you wanted in life and had it at your fingertips, while I was forced to build up and work upon a dream that I've only just come to see as flawed.

Now, the tables have been turned, as the one thing I've wanted since we first met has finally been realized – making you as utterly miserable as humanly possible. The fact that it took less than two days using a sub par weapon as opposed to the years of mechanical technology and studying to do you in makes this a bittersweet victory. I've undone you…but I've also failed myself as a person and genius…"

…It's been a treacherous and twisted long journey that we've taken together, Sonic the Hedgehog. I bid you adieu."

And with that, he pulls and releases the trigger. I jump up to my feet, intent on stopping him from taking the easy way out of his crimes. "NO!!!" I growl, jumping in mid dash to wrangle the gun from his grip.

_Too little too late. Eggman's brains are splattered along the wall aside whatever was left of our child…_

"…sonic…"

"A…Amy?" I stutter. I'm in too much shock to realize that she's still alive and reaching out for me. Slowly, I crawl over to her side and carefully bring her into an embrace. "Amy…you hang in there, okay?" I ask her, hoping for the best. She's the only thing I have left.

"sonic…" she starts, "...you came …b…ack." Gently grabbing a hold of my hands, she adds, "...the baby is…I'm so…sorry…

…I'm…sc...scared…"

_And just like Tails had done before her, she also went limp._

As the natural warmth and radiance faded from her eyes, I fought back to urge to scream. _Too bad I gave into it._

…

"_**AMY!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

My eyes are closed, and I'm thrashing around at air until I hit something_. Or rather someone, because they reacted by saying "OWW!!"_

"Sonic wake up! It's alright man!" Once my eyes are opened, I see Tails and Cream on either side of me, both looking equally worried.

"Where the hell am I?" I exclaim.

"Sonic, calm down", Tails started. "You're at my workshop, remember? You only went back to your and Amy's apartments to get a few things before heading back here to crash the night.

You were just having a bad dream. A nightmare."

Cream offers me some orange juice and toast, which I quickly refuse. "We heard you screaming and shouting, so we came in here to check up on you." "Besides", she continued, "we also came in here to get some food in you. You're going to need all your strength in order for today to go as smoothly as possible."

As I reluctantly take a piece of toast, the both of them fill me in on the breakthrough Tails had apparently made while I had been asleep. They had learnt that five of the seven Chaos Emeralds had been unaccounted for in the past few days, with the last one being accounted for about 3 days ago – or two days before Amy's abduction.

"Since we know that Shadow has one in his possession, and that I have the other," Tails explains, "It pretty much goes without saying that Eggman must have the other five."

"Well then, let's go!" I shout, jumping out of bed with toast still in my mouth. However, Tails is shaking his head.

"Not that simple, Sonic", he says solemnly, shaking his head. "Remember the last time Eggman had a majority of the Chaos Emeralds? You tried to zero in him by using Chaos Control to get within his proximity; you were near him, but just barely. More like on the outskirts of his headquarters at the time. By like, 100 miles."

"Okay, okay", I say, annoyed. "I know that I was off, and I understand that this is _**definitely**_ not a situation where we can afford to be _off_ by just a bit. But it did work, right? If that's not good, then what would you suggest?" I asked.

"Well," he started off, "For one, the reason you were off the last time was due to your inexperience with the use of Chaos Control. Particularly in the area of channeling a Chaos Emerald's energy in order to teleport to a specific location. That's the only reason I can think for why it didn't work as well; you just had a vague, general, idea of where you wanted to go or who you wanted to see, so you only put placed a small amount of focus into performing Chaos Control."

"And?" I ask, getting lost in his explanation. "Get to the point, Tails!"

"Well, my point is that it's still a good idea, we just need to hone your focus." He finishes. "The only problem with your focus right now would be that your…um…_emotions_ are getting in the way of that.

You got Amy and the baby on your mind, and who knows what might happen if you attempted Chaos Control by proximity on your own.

In order for this to work…we'll need more than one person to induce Chaos Control."

"…you don't mean…?" I gasp, trailing off as it's pretty obvious who he has in mind.

"Yes, he meant, me. Faker."

That cocky, arrogant tone of voice along with that loving pet name could only be spoken by one person and one alone.

_Shadow._

"Once he heard about what happened to Amy, he was more than willing to help out." Cream stated.

"Enough with the formalities", Shadow huffs, producing his trademark green emerald. "We have no time to waste…"

And with that, I take that as a cue to follow his lead, producing my own emerald. Just as we're about to start the duel effort of Chaos Control, Tails interrupts us by handing us each a peculiar little pair of earphones.

"These are so you guys can communicate back and forth with one another and also with me, as I'll be waiting on standby in the Tornado.

They're also tracking devices, so they'll enable me to home in on your signal and rendezvous with you. However, if one of you should happen to come across your exact coordinates, please don't hesitate to send them my way."

Doing a quick sound test, we put the receivers on as we prepare to perform Chaos Control.

"I hope you know where you're going, Shadow", I tell him warily.

"Likewise to you", he says back. "I never miss my mark."

"Just shut up and let's get this shit over with, alright?"

"Well spoken."

"**CHAOS CONTROL!!!!!"**

A bright light filled the room, encompassing both Shadow and myself. And just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone in the next instant. When it finally faded out, I realized that Cream and Tails were no longer there, and Shadow was also no where to be found. I was also in very different surroundings than just a moment before, which revealed this crappy insignia that was plastered in every conceivable corner.

Jackpot. Without a doubt, this had to be one of Eggman's bases, if not the very one that he might be holding Amy. Looking around, it looks as if the place had recently been occupied, as there was a nearby table with constraints nearby, with other things scattered by it. As I take a step forward, the familiar scent of Amy's favorite fragrance catches my nose, prompting me to rush over towards the table, but not before noticing the small pool of blood on the floor.

Putting two and two together, the image of blood before me brings back that horrific image of Amy from my dream…

_..."I'm sending him on a one way trip to hell if it's the last thing I do…"_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks! I think that's probably as twisted as this story will get, since I don't think the next chapter is quite as grotesque. _

_Heads up though – Eggman's little emerald works show has a weird reaction on the baby; 'Doctor' Shadow gives a crash course on Chaos energy and saves the lives of Amy and the baby. Sonic is looking to beat Eggman within an inch of his life for messing with his family, and well…both Amy and Sonic find out a little big surprise concerning the baby courtesy of Sara. Given the circumstances, she's a tad annoyed that those two would prefer everything concerning the baby as one big secret – and trust us when we say that this is something that you'd want to know right off the bat._

_As always, read and review, and thank you for enjoying the story thus far!_


	17. Pushed to the Limit

_**Author's Note:** If you guys thought that the last chapter was pretty gruesome, that's probably as far as we'll go in that department._

_Or maybe not. Infuriating a happy-go-lucky fellow like Sonic is something that might not go as well as planned. You never really know with those cheerful types – they might just have the worst temper you could ever imagine…_

_(Shadow's P.O.V.)_

_"Is everyone alright?_" I ask once everything has fallen silent. While one of my ears catches the tumble of debris from above with ease, I strain myself to listen amidst that and the increased pounding sensation coming from the right side of my face. I eventually hear a shrill cry that grows louder in volume, accompanied by a few groans.

_"…Ugh…Shadow?"_

That's Amy's voice, and sure enough, I remember that I had instinctively acted as a living shield for her and her companions when the ceiling collapsed. From the way she said my name it would seem as though I accidentally knocked the wind out of…

_Shit! I couldn't have hit her in the stomach, right? _That dreadful thought is all I needed as encouragement to get out of the rubble. I try to stand up under my own strength but barely get into a kneeling position, showing that the weight of whatever is covering us is heavy; if I tried to shift pieces of it from where I am at the moment, a piece or two could very well slide back down, and if that happens…_well_, let's just say that it doesn't take a genius to realize that heavy objects in motion seem faster and heavier than they naturally are.

With the use of brute strength quickly ruled out, another idea quickly comes to mind: _Chaos Control._ I could have just as easily teleported out of our surroundings before the impending collapse, but judging from the pounding in my head, I must have hit it hard enough that I hadn't gained enough composure to maneuver it in time.

Though if that's the case, the reason I couldn't teleport _instinctively_ is another question in itself. If all else fails, there's always instinct to fall back on, which has been the case in several instances where I was momentarily unable to defend or protect myself. I've done it so many times beforehand, and with this being one of the many times that I've had a Chaos Emerald in my possession, why would I be unable to do so now?

_My Chaos Emerald._ Realizing that I still had one of the seven (Sonic having one as well), I quickly take it out to act as a makeshift flashlight to illuminate our confined space, giving me an idea of what I have to work with. Everything is soon washed over with a glowing green light, allowing me to finally see Amy and the others for the first time. Amy is lying underneath me, but alert and conscious, and I sigh with relief once I take a glance at her stomach. No sign of blood, or any immediate indication that it was touched, though I can't be entirely certain until we get into some better light.

"I'm – I mean, _**we're**_ fine at the moment", she says, while patting her stomach. She wastes no time in thanking me as I help her sit up. "I am so glad that you're here!" she exclaims. Nodding her head upwards, she continues, "It's a good thing that you created a Chaos Shield or we would've been crushed for sure!"

"But I _didn't_ create a barrier", I state, cutting her off before she could say anymore. Her eyes widen in shock, as do mine for a moment, before looking up to fully take in what she had just said.

We both look up and see that there _is_ indeed a shield, preventing debris from collapsing upon us. I would think that I merely created it out of instinct, but I soon rule that out as such a barrier would have given me the time to properly teleport before the collapse. Or simply put, I would have _felt_ myself performing such actions from the get go.

_"Well, if this isn't your shield, whose could it possibly be?" _The question coming from Amy's doctor, the same one that I met when I accompanied Amy to an appointment. She's gotten herself into a sitting/kneeling position, and as far as I can tell she's unharmed with the exception of a wound to her left arm. It appears to be a fresh wound as blood quickly gained space along the fabric of her doctor's robe. Forgetting about the barrier and its origin I inch myself over to her to quickly inspect and treat the wound. "Does it hurt when I move your arm upwards? Downwards?" I ask, while moving it in the direction of choice. "No", she says, "but I would know better than you if my arm was broken or ...NOT!" She flinches back in pain as I gently moved her arm back towards her, and as I release my grip it goes into a position that seems a bit off from what it normally should be. "Oww…instead of being broken I suppose it's somewhat dislocated instead", she finishes.

_Hmph. A doctor is their own worst doctor._

In her other arm she's carrying carry the child, who by now has taken up silent tears and whimpering. Other than that and being a bit…_damp_, they seemed to be fine outside of being visibly shaken up.

Glancing at her dislocated limb with an understanding of what needed to be done, she asks Amy to take her for the time being. "Aria's already been through a lot'', she says as she motions for me to take her. "The last thing I'd want is to scare her myself with my screams of agony. The child however seemed to be set on having her mother's immediate comfort as she struggled to hold onto her for as long as she could.

Since I'm not entirely versed in handling children, I ask Amy to come for her. As she does, she suddenly falls back, grimacing as she holds onto her abdomen. "AMY!" the doctor and I collectively shout, crawling over to her side to find out what's going on. She tells her to lie back while asking her to try and describe how she's feeling.

"It's…that sharp pain again", Amy groans, pointing to where her breastbone would be located. "The same one I felt when that bastard was trying to…test…the Chaos Emeralds he had on the baby…"

"WHAT!" I exclaimed, as this was clearly news to me.

"He tried to…he wants to…_kill_…me and the baby…Sonic too", she finished. "...he only used the emeralds because he wanted to gauze how much energy the baby could handle…"

_The part about being exposed to excess energy from the Chaos Emeralds was enough to have me fuming. Chaos energy can be stable one moment and unstable the next, so it's potentially dangerous given the vast amount of power it could produce. A regular person might very well be fried if exposed to a huge surge of energy emitted from just ONE emerald, so it almost goes without saying that an unborn child might experience the same fate..._

But just as suddenly as it came, the pain ceased, as Amy's face relaxed. With some sweat rolling down her face she sat up, proceeding to remove five of the seven emeralds from her person, handing them each to me as quickly as she produces them. "You're better suited to hold onto these", she said, while comforting the little girl. "I think I need to distance myself from them if I'm ever going to get this horrible pain to stop."

Agreeing with her, I return my attention back to the doctor and her dislocated arm, who grabs hold of my left arm as I prepare to put hers back in place. "Close your eyes and count up to 5", I tell her, with the mindset of doing the deed once she hits a certain number. "And cover that kid's ears and face as best you can, Amy", I add.

After taking a long moment to make certain that Amy would be alright for the present time, I tell her doctor to start the count. "ONE!!!!!" she screams as her arm snaps back into its rightful spot. While she's still coming down from the immediate pain I manage to take off her robe, creating a makeshift sling that I quickly place her arm into.

And as if on cue, the barrier begins to deteriorate, with the debris coming so close that it was merely inches away from crushing us all. _Surprised it didn't lose composure earlier, but I should be grateful that it held up as long as it did._

Concentrating upon the six emeralds that I now have in my possession, I utter those two words that have been a part of my vocabulary for as long as I can remember.

**"CHAOS CONTROL!!!"**

_Meanwhile…_

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

Rage is all I feel as my mind thinks of all the possible things that bastard could have done to Amy and the baby, none of which is remotely pleasant. The blood on the floor and the lingering scent of Amy's favorite fragrance prompt painful flashbacks of that nightmare – _everyone close to me was dead, including her and the baby…_

_The fear of failure is nauseating; I don't know what I would do with myself if I ever…_

Suddenly, a huge projection screen comes to life, featuring a blurred image that's quickly beginning to come into focus. Squinting my eyes, I try to see if I can figure out what's being shown. Though no sooner had I done so, I began to wish I hadn't. The both of us on screen, in bed. _Making love._

He'd been _watching_…recording what should have been some very special, private moments for the both of us. Watching every single kiss, gesture and touch. Studying how we make love down to a T.

By taping us, it almost feels as if he's cheapened what we were doing. As if we were more like animals in heat or actors rather than two people expressing their love for one another. _And if I feel this bad about it, I can only imagine how Amy must feel…_

_Amy. _I make a frenzied dash towards the screen, propelling and maneuvering myself in mid-air as I spin dashed through it, sending scraps flying in every imaginable direction. I also waste no time in sprinting over to the projector, removing the film reel and smashing it into bits and pieces with the heel of my foot. The metal spindle is easily shattered, with bits of film still attached to it; the rest of it is sprawled or crumbled about on the floor beneath me. I kneel down and start shredding the remnants of film with what's left of its spindle, grinding, tearing, and ripping every which way – every direction – all until I'm entirely certain that it will never be viewable again. Ever.

And, as if perfectly on cue, I hear the annoying chuckle of someone who easily could knock Shadow down a space on the list of people who could seriously piss me off.

_"It's been awhile, Sonic", he says calmly. "I see that you've stumbled upon my dirty film stash..."_

_Have to play it cool. _"This is an all time low, even for you", I say back calmly. _I would be shouting profanities at the top of my lungs right now, but it wouldn't get me any closer to finding out what he's done with Amy and the others…_

"_I always pictured you as the type with a weak libido – very easy to sexually arouse and spent within a few minutes at best", he taunts. "But look at you go! I had to replace my film several times before you even reached your limit."_

_Keep it cool. _"Kind of sounds like you got the hots for me, but I don't fly that way," I shrugged, in a nonchalant manner. "Besides, didn't you know that secretly taping folks having sex and jerking off to it makes you a sexual predator? You know, in the same category as douche bags that think _'no'_ is a woman's way of saying '_take me now'_?"

He laughs for a few minutes, amused by my witty little remark. "I could easily say the same for you, hedgehog!" he declared. "Your little fan girl seemed like she wanted you to stop the whole time. But knowing her, she seems more inclined to readily become your whore than to maintain her self respect and dignity.

Makes me wonder how the both of you can act surprised about the fact that she's pregnant with your children?"

"Watch your FUCKING mouth!" I growl. _Calm just pretty much flew out the window and crashed._ "Where _**are**_ they?"

"_Why don't you find out yourself?"_ he states inquisitively, with that all too familiar hint of sarcasm echoed throughout the room. "_They all seemed pretty intent on playing a little game of hide and seek, though I see it more like Russian roulette. _

_Though I have to admit that I've been cheating; I know where the lone bullet is, and who's going to have the true pleasure of finding it lodged within their skull…"_

_With flashing images of my nightmare still fresh, I doubt I want to call his bluff at this point. It didn't sound like him at all – he usually manages to give himself away with some overextended explanation of the half assed plan that he's trying to achieve while stroking his ego in the process. _

_But this time, he was trying to fuck with me, showing me shit that should have been intimate and private. Saying shit that would have easily resulted in having a foot shoved up his hemorrhoid infested ass. All while his fake little laugh shows that he's enjoying trying to make me suffer._

_He won't be laughing for long._

"Tails?" I ask, speaking firmly into my communicator. "Were you listening? You got all that?"

Static passes for a few seconds before I hear what sounds like 'that bastard' over it. "He's really lost it this time…" Tails exclaimed, allowing his voice to trail off into the distance. "But anyway, I have a lock on the rest of the Chaos Emeralds. The moment that you and Shadow got there, the five that I had on radar added up to six. Since I'm seeing the one emerald that you have is isolated from the rest, I think it's safe to say that Shadow has found the remaining five."

"Has Shadow relayed his whereabouts?" I inquire.

"He did a few moments ago", Tails stated, "Though he's constantly breaking up since the Chaos Emeralds are creating interference. However, I did manage to get your coordinates from both the emerald radar and his message, so I'll be there to meet up with you in the Tornado within the next couple of minutes...BOOM!!!"

I hear what sounds like an electric buzz before the transmission is cut off, with static being the only thing audible. "TAILS?" I scream for a split second. "Tails, say something!"

The static stalls before becoming loud in volume and dropping again. "…make that _**several**_ couple minutes!!!!" he screams a moment later. "Eggman's sent out the calvary to give me a warm welcome! I got to take them out!!

But about what I was saying when I was cut off – I _did_ manage to get bits and pieces of what Shadow was trying to say despite the interference. Something about someone being hurt and – brace yourself – Amy experiencing what _**could**_ be labor pains!!

…_Sonic?_ Are you still listening?"

_I'm determined to get to them as quickly as possible_**. "CHAOS CONTROL!!"**

_But wait. What the hell did he mean when he said 'children'?_

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

One moment, we're trapped under the rubble of a ceiling, and the next we're in one of Eggman's hangers. Egg fighters, along with many of his other contraptions are all whizzing right past us at mach speeds, apparently none the wiser of our escape. I've handed Aria back to Sara, who's supporting her in the makeshift sling that Shadow made for her. "She's at that age where she's prone to ear infections!" she yells, while trying her best to cup the child's ears. "Could we have set them off by escaping?" Due to all the noise, Aria has once again taking to crying profusely and is unable to be soothed, with not even the immediate comfort of her mother's touch to calm her.

"I highly doubt it's over us," Shadow adds, while trying to support me. "There must be a more immediate threat to the base outside. More than likely foxboy flying around in that lemon of a go cart he calls an aircraft."

"Tails?" I ask, with hope tingling in my throat. "We'll be out of here in no TI...m...e…."

I fall back, my previous pains having returned tenfold. Shadow catches me in mid-fall, helping me to the floor while supporting my back against a wall. Sara quickly joins his side, and for a few agonizing minutes, we both watch as he meticulously trails a hand over my swollen abdomen.

_And judging from his expression – a focused, cautious look that I've only seen when he's faced an opponent that he can't easily take down, it's obviously not good._

Afterwards, he removes his hand, clenching it into a fist as he closes his eyes in thought, leaving Sara free to go about her own examination, probing and poking certain spots along my stomach while asking how I felt. "Does this hurt?" she asked while poking just below my navel. "What about here?" I do my best to describe my pain; sharp, piercing cramps and spasms that ripple up from my pelvis to my ribcage, and stay there. And with each passing minute, the agony grows…almost to the point where I'm afraid I might 'burst' at any moment.

She even goes so far as to check if my 'water' has broken, signaling for Shadow to look away. He does so, but not before briefly giving Sara a hard glare and a 'Hmph' before turning his back, his fist still tightly clenched.

"This is the strangest display of Braxton – Hicks I've ever witnessed", she says, after reassuring me that my amniotic sac hadn't ruptured. "False labor pains that are typically brought on by stress, strain, and even emotional…"

"Bullshit!" Shadow yells, as he turns around to meet her gaze. "This is far from false labor, or anything that you as a medical specialist could possibly understand concerning the influence of Chaos energy!"

"I might not have a vast knowledge of this 'Chaos' energy of which you speak", she boomed back, "But I am fully qualified in monitoring and detecting complications and problems with high risk pregnancies, and this is as high risk as you could possibly get!"

"Looks like you were taking a risk yourself, doc", he fired back, as he grabs a hold of one of my hands. Looking into my eyes, he asks very gently: _"Amy, do you know how many children you're going to have?" _But before I can vocalize the number 'one', Sara has already given the both of us an entirely different answer.

_**Twins.**_

_TWINS? Sonic and I are going to have twins? Am I dreaming?_

But from the frowns that grace Sara and Shadow's faces, I can tell that it's not a dream.

"You didn't know?" Shadow asks me, while giving my hand a squeeze. His own momentary shock is replaced with the anger he had only moments before, once again directing it in Sara's direction. "What kind of doctor keeps their patients in the dark about something as important as that? What were you thinking?"

"On my part, it was never about keeping anyone in the dark!" Sara exclaimed, as she tried to handle a screaming Aria. "This information has been readily available since her post bed rest checkup. The sonogram taken during the examination proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's carrying two children – previous sonograms had only been able to pick up one." Taking a momentary glance in my direction, she continues, "I did my best to inform both her and her significant other of the development." "But," she sighed, "they were more interested in being surprised in the delivery room for the most part."

And with that, Shadow simply shook his head while he maintained that tightly clenched fist. "He freaks out after learning he was going to be a father and yet he STILL wants to be surprised." He mumbled.

_Sonic can't take all of the blame here – I was looking forward to being surprised just as much._

"But with that all aside", he continued, "I think I know the immediate cause for your agony – excess Chaos energy as a result of direct exposure to the Chaos Emeralds."

"As a result of Eggfart trying to play guinea pig with me?" I ask.

"Correct." He says, agreeing. "Chaos energy in the hands of those unskilled in handling it can prove disastrous – even deadly if left to its own devices. But from what I can see, you're holding up rather well, which I'd attribute to several points in the past where you've had one or more of the emeralds in your possession."

"I see", Sara chimes in. "So in other words, you're saying that she's gradually built up some sort of tolerance from various periods of exposure."

"Right", he continues. "She has a higher level of tolerance than the average person would have for this kind of thing, especially given that she's also displayed a potential for handling such energy.

But even with that, that may not do much if you've absorbed such a vast amount of energy in a short time. And that goes for just about anyone, ranging from the inexperienced such as you ladies to those who deal with it on a frequent basis such as me. Anyone would have a difficult time adjusting to it..."

A moment passes before he concludes by saying: "If left to itself, there's no doubt in my mind that the excess energy would eventually erase her and her children from the very fabric of existence."

_My heart skips a beat after that last sentence, as if I'm almost afraid to believe for myself what I was hearing. _

"Radiation poisoning?" asks Sara, who appears to be just as shocked as I am.

"Not quite", he replied. "Pent up Chaos energy can ultimately have the same end result as radiation poisoning if left alone to itself. As in, moving until it found a way out, which in this case could mean a violently orchestrated exit or two through Amy's body."

"Not good!" I moan, already feeling the onset of more chaos related agony. "What about my baby - _babies_? If you're talking about how badly this is going to affect me, what about them? What will happen to…_ugh…"_

_As I fall back again in pain, Shadow grabs a hold of me, holding on until I'm able to steady myself. _"I have a theory on that", he says, while helping me into a sitting position. "That level of tolerance for Chaos energy must be something that you and Sonic passed down to the both of them, so they're currently holding up pretty well from what I can sense. But more importantly, just as you've shown potential for utilizing Chaos energy and Sonic's able to weld it himself, I believe that they also can use it as well – which would explain that mysterious barrier that bought us some time a few minutes earlier."

_I still can't believe what I'm hearing: I'm carrying Chaos savvy children?_

Continuing, he suggests that the barrier was an instinctive defense, having picked up on my sense of danger to create it in the first place. "It went up to protect you, but started to deteriorate when you started to calm down. It also seems that the agony you feel is a failed attempt at trying to burn off excess energy."

He would have continued when we were all suddenly distracted by a blinding light, accompanied with a strong, short breeze that seemed to stop right in front of me. And when the light waned and I found a familiar pair of forest green eyes looking back at me, I found the one person that I had been wanting by my side this whole time.

_Sonic. _No words could express how relieved and happy we were to see the other at the moment; we were just happy to be in the other's company once more. We both fell into an embrace, holding on to the other as if years had passed between our last.

We could have stayed in that position forever, but he ended it with a very soft and equally passionate kiss. While wiping away the new stream of tears that were beginning to fall from my face, he cleared his throat so that he might speak first. "So", he said while gently stroking my left cheek, "I bet you're glad to see this hedgehog's face again, eh?"

I would have quickly said yes, but another wave of chaos induced agony had washed over me again. "You bet…" is the best that I'm able to muster through tightened lips.

Sonic's expression of sheer joy is quickly replaced by that of determination and focus. Generally, that would be a good sign, as it means that he's going to get everyone out of here in one piece.

_But somehow…it's almost as if I'm not looking at the same person…_

He's taken his gaze away from me, looking to the floor as if in deep thought. "I'm not entirely sure what he wanted to do to you and the baby", he states in a low voice, "but whatever it was, he's not getting another chance at it."

"_Ever._" He concludes, as he turns himself back around to face us.

_My heart just skipped a beat. For a split second, I could have sworn that wasn't him talking just now. That sounded so absolute, final…and if he's thinking what I'm thinking right now, it's not anything good. Or maybe I'm reading it out of context… _

_Though even as subtly as that came out, it definitely would seem as if whatever intended meaning can't possibly be of any good for Eggman in the very immediate future. _

_But, if I'm being true to my heart - that means it doesn't for Sonic either…_

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_I gotta get them out of here. Amy, the baby, and her companions. I don't want them to be around for what I possibly might have to do to ensure that something of this nature doesn't happen to her or any of our loved ones ever again..._

"Tails should be here any second now," I say, after radioing back to him my current location. "He's already got the nearest hospital on radar, so he's flying you all there while I stay behind to deal with Egghead."

Amy's obviously not too happy with the plan, quickly making it apparently to everyone. "You just got here!" she exclaims, as her face contorts in agony. "I don't want you to leave me…" she says, while reaching for my hand.

"I don't want to leave you either", I say while slowly moving out of reach, "but I rather you and the baby were in a safer place than here right now. No doubt Eggy's got something spectacular cooked up for a finale, and you possibly having the baby isn't something I want mixed in with it."

"You mean, _babies_", she corrects me.

"Babies, then", I echo, correcting myself.

_Babies? I think I already know what that means, but I'll deal with it later. Everyone being safe is more important right now._

The buzzing engine of the Tornado can now be directly heard above us rather clearly, though the acoustics might actually be distancing the estimated time by which the plane itself will come into viewable distance. _At any rate though, he's close by, and that's a very good thing at the moment._

"That's Tails", I say, as I kneel down to scoop up Amy, while gesturing for Shadow to do the same with the doctor. "He's going to quickly sweep in for the pick up before kicking it full speed to the hospital."

But Shadow stood his ground, as did Amy, who basically tensed herself to give me a hard enough time in getting a grip. "Come on!" I say, while trying to lift her up one more time. "If you're in so much pain, the baby must be coming, and I won't have that here!"

"BABIES!!" she shouts back at me, now purposely going limp in my grasp. "And there won't be baby anything or even me left soon if you don't stop and calm down!"

"But we don't have much..." I start.

"Time?" Shadow chimed in, pushing me to the side. "Of course we don't have much time." "But", he said while kneeling beside her, "rather than interrupting, just shut up and watch what I was about to do just before you showed up."

And without another word, he placed his hands above Amy's stomach, moving them around as if typing on a computer, a white aura of energy quickly gathering around his hands.

"You're talking about not having time and yet you're feeling my girl up?" I yelled.

"Yeah, and I'm having a good time while at it!" he finished sarcastically. "The doctor took the liberty of exposing your children to Chaos energy and they seem to be able to tolerate it for the most part."

"_But_", he continued, "they can't handle it for too much longer, and if I don't absorb what I can, the possibility of this becoming a red zone is very real."

"_Funny you should say that, Shadow. I wasn't quite thinking of having a mushroom cloud in my own backyard when I woke up today."_

_Just on time._ And as if on cue, _he_ arrives, snuggly seated within the cockpit of yet another of his crap fighting mechs. E-something or other, or some other conceitedly named cheap piece of shit that he came up with.

_(Shadow's P.O.V.)_

"I wonder if my grandfather christened you the Ultimate Lifeform due to immunity to radiation poisoning?" the doctor declares, as he loaded up the semi-automatic on his exosuit. Sonic jumps in front of me, giving me a nod to continue with the task at hand.

"And my dear nemesis", he continued, addressing Sonic this time, "I think that you could easily escape such a situation, whether you be in the deepest part or not. Maybe even with one or two people clinging onto your shoulders for dear life.

All that could easily happen in an instant, if I wished it to be…

But even if you could, I wonder, Sonic…

…_can you possibly make 2 different choices at the same time?_"

_Two choices? What the hell is he talking about?_

Sonic seems a bit thrown off momentarily, but something instantly clicks into place with him as he swiftly turns his attention towards the right, in Sara's direction, who had been silent for quite some time. Amy's gaze follows his lead, causing her to instantly tense up once she catches a glimpse of what he sees. And with that, I quickly turn my sights on what is the center of attention.

An Egg Pawn has a pistol pressed against the doctor's skull, who has her back turned away from us. She's hunching as much as she possibly can, apparently shielding her child, who had resumed her crying.

"I don't think I've ever seen you act out this type of scenario: two choices, one outcome. You have to save one while most likely losing the other in the process, and most definitely losing your own life if you tried to save them both."

"Some choice, jackass," Sonic retorted. "But the last time I checked, I'm not the only line of defense back here. Shadow's right over there, and he can just as easily dodge any half assed attack of your any day of the week."

"Perhaps," the doctor admitted. "But maybe not as effectively when he's trying to absorb a great deal of Chaos energy in such a short amount of time."

"But", he continued as he prepared to fire, "Are you swift enough to dodge both a barrage of gunfire and everyone in its immediate path?

_Let's find out_."

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

**BANG! BANG! BANG!!!** _It falls silent shortly after. I try and open my eyes but quickly close them as a blinding ray of light is preventing me from looking around._

"_Sonic, Shadow? Are you out there?" I ask, worriedly. _No answer.

"Sara, Aria? Is anyone out there?"

Shadow was the first to speak. "I've got you", he says reassuringly, while holding onto me. "I created a Chaos Shield around the two of us, so we're safe for the time being."

"What about Sonic?" I asked. "Where is he? Did he get to Aria and Sara in time?"

"I can't tell", Shadow replied, squeezing my hand. "Though I do feel a vastly enormous surge in Chaos energy. It's the source of this blinding radiance, so until it settles we won't be able to find out."

It would be a few more moments before we heard Aria begin to cry, and yet some more before we could comfortably open our eyes.

Following the direction of her cry, I opened my eyes to see Sara still holding onto her tightly, lying on the floor several yards away amongst the remains of what had been her robotic attacker. Still somewhat conscious, she mumbled, "What happened?"

A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I realize that Sonic had managed to reach her in time. _But if she's alright, where is he?_

"…Sonic?"

Scanning around, it didn't take look before his form comes into view, though I gasp when I do. It seemed as if he was single handedly holding every single round fired at bay – by sheer willpower! None of the rounds had hit us apparently, as he had suspended them in mid air.

"That answer your question?" he inquired coldly as he allowed some of them to drop to the floor.

_That change in tone again sent another chill down my spine, but not as much as what I was staring at now. _He was levitating only a foot away from the ground, with all seven Chaos Emerald floating around him, with a bluish, flame like aura engulfing his entire body. His quills, though normally slicked back, were now standing up on end with that wonderful cerulean hue in his fur going several shades darker, to the point where the difference between a cobalt blue and black would have gone unnoticed.

And his eyes…those lovely forest green pupils of his had gone completely blank, with only the white being visible.

If I didn't know any better, I would be thinking that he had achieved his super form by channeling into the energy all seven of the emeralds. But since I had seen him do it on more occasions than I care to remember, this didn't seem to be the case. He would be engulfed in a golden aura that washed over his entire being, with his eyes burning an emblazoned red that showcased the passion and determination present within his soul.

_But not this time. It just didn't seem right. Normal. Almost as if the body and soul of the Sonic that I know and love had been replaced with that of a stranger._

"_**SONIC!!!!"**_

I was brought out of my thoughts by Shadow's yell, who was still in the process of extracting as much excess energy as he could. He was still absorbing it, but the little bits that he couldn't were somehow making their way over towards Sonic and the dark aura.

Eggman then suddenly began to slouch over within the cockpit of his contraption, blood quickly beginning to gather and trickle down from his mouth.

_And then it hit me. I had counted about 6 shots in total when they were still suspended and visible in mid-air._

_They weren't anymore…_

_And that's the end of this chapter folks! We told you all that emotional stress was going to get to Sonic sooner or later. It was just bound to in any case. _

_But this isn't the worst of it, as Sonic has decided that Eggman is too much of a danger for the world at large, and it's up to both Amy and Shadow to derail his train of thought before he does something he could very well regret._

_On another note, this chapter took a good and long time to get out – about 5 months and counting. And we apologize for that – there were times where I might start typing and make progress, and then not get back to it until maybe 3-4 weeks afterwards. Or I might type up a good 3-4 paragraphs, read through it, and scrap it because the flow wasn't working for me. _

_But anyway, I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to send a PM or e-mail my way and ask about the story and/or when it was to be updated. Means you're still out there reading this, and we wouldn't want to disappoint by leaving this a cliffhanger._


	18. No Mercy

_**Author's Note:**_ _Well folks, it's the start of 2008, thus a new year. It also means that this story is finally seeing an update in the form of a brand new chapter. About time too – we both know that you guys have been just aching for an update, and here it is!_

_As for this chapter, all I can say is that it's going to get a tad…violent again. You don't have a super charged hedgehog floating around for show, right? There's going to be pain, blood, and tears, with one person hopefully wishing that they knew when to quit when they had a chance._

_Or were shown mercy. Which ever comes first._

* * *

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_Eyes closed. Any moment now, I'll be waking up to find myself safe and sound. Underneath warm, plush bed covers trying to swat away the intrusive beams of sunlight flowing through the curtains. Waking up to a kiss from Sonic, complete with the complimentary morning breath. _

_Yeah. Any moment now._

I open my eyes and blink, proceeding to frown at what lies before me. The hopes of this all being some horribly extended nightmare are shattered – this is _**REAL**_. I've been kidnapped by an aged megalomaniac who's proven to be more mentally unstable than I ever imagined. Who's also kidnapped my obstetrician along with her kid, whom he very nearly drowned without the slightest bit of remorse.

I would love to believe that one act of endangering a life is enough to frighten me, but it only proves that his 'plan' is no joking matter. He wants the love of my life dead as a means of reconciling for the shortcomings of his own intellectual achievements and is willing to do what he can to make it happen. Even if it includes taking the life of an innocent child.

_This isn't my imagination._ I'm not just imagining this Chaos energy-induced agony, or how Shadow is meticulously working to sweep it out of my body as he kneels besides me. I didn't dream up the fact that the life growing within me had actually been working damage control against the very same energy he's striving to neutralize. Or that the very same life that I had believed was one were actually two separate beings, each working together in their own way.

_And I'm certainly not dreaming up this view of a Chaos energy-enlightened Sonic proceeding to beat the living daylights out of Eggman in what would usually be his 'trump' card play – though eerily darker and more solemn than any previous recollection can recall._

He's cracking jokes and taunts one moment, and now he's more serious than I've ever seen him before. Focused. But something tells me not in the way that I would..._argh_…

_Another stab of sheer agony._ The waves of discomfort are starting to flesh out, no longer coming as sharp or as frequent as they once were. I look up at Shadow, who's still attempting to draw out as much excess energy as he can. Sweat has formed upon his brow and is starting to trickle down his face in little beads. _It might be too much for him to absorb in such a short duration of time._

"This isn't as easy as it looks," he said, while pausing momentarily. "They've been on the defensive since the doctor's light show, so I've had to force my way in somewhat to draw the excess energy out.

It took awhile, but I think they now subconsciously realize that I'm a kindred spirit and mean them no ill will."

_Those last few words were able to bring a slight smile to my face, even amidst all this chaos. If these children can already display such a spectacular outburst of energy, I can only imagine how things will be when they're older..._

Another bright flash of light and my eyes are once again covered. And while I can't see anything, my other senses pick up the slack: A loud thunderous 'clap' on par with what one might hear in the mist of a terrible thunderstorm, followed with rapid gusts of air. There's also a lot of 'whizzing', which means that Sonic is breaking his namesake – the sound barrier. Then as suddenly as it came, it stops, and the light begins to mellow out and dim. And then, that's when I hear it: "_Please. Have Mercy..." _I nearly thought the agony was making me delusional until it was repeated, as both Sara and Shadow perked up. In unison, we all turn in the direction the speaker's voice had come from...

_(Shadow's P.O.V.)_

"_Please, ...have mercy". Given the circumstances, those are words that I've heard all too often from the doctor. It generally signifies the end of one of his failed exploits, spouting this bullshit when his opponent has the upper hand so that he might escape to concoct another failed plan of worldly domination. I haven't seen it work on anyone save that echidna, who falls for it thanks in part to his naïve understandings of the world. _

_Besides that, there have been one or two occasions where Sonic was dealt this ploy, and, rather than saying anything, he would just leave without so much as a word. Usually to rush off and save the day, rescuing a friend or some other unfortunate person that was dragged into one of the doctor's affairs..._

_...exactly the way it should be. Actions speak louder than words. It would save a lot of face for that echidna, who sometimes gloats when it's blatantly obvious he's been fed a lie. Deceit. A promise for reformation. _

_But, as I've come to learn time and again, showing mercy is a double edged sword; one could come out looking strong or weak depending on the circumstances. Stronger if at peace with the situation, or weak if you felt there was no need for mercy..._

_Based on an educated guess from all that's happened of late, I'd say this is a case of the latter..._

He's reached into the cockpit and pulled out the doctor, who appears to be just as battered and broken as the remnants of his contraption. Hardly recognizable from what it was at any rate- merely scattered metallic scraps that were currently aflame or slowly melting into a congealed state. Some scraps have even apparently been reduced to mere ash as a result of direct contact with the radiant glory of all seven emeralds. The doctor whispers his plea once more, as I suppose that's all that he can manage; the trauma and blood loss together are causing him to teeter along the edge of consciousness.

_This is definitely a first – the doctor never gets seriously hurt during a confrontation as he usually has enough foresight to escape. But now, here he is, bloodied and battered in his aged body, struggling to stay awake. _

_Or at least playing dumb; blood has a tendency of making wounds look far worse than they actually are. _

He answers the doctor's pleas by releasing his grip, allowing him to fall on his back with a _thud _and whimper in more apparent agony as he squirmed on the floor. "Thank you", he whispers, while struggling to get up as an overturned turtle would. Once he's on his belly, he makes use of his arms and proceeds to crawl away, as the bulk of his injuries must have sapped the strength needed to stand on his own feet.

"I promise that you won't regret..**ACK!!"**

_And he was back on him, once again. _Clutching the scruff of his neck while holding him down in place, and soon lifting him up for all to see. All three of us soon hear a slight gurgling, raspy noise that gradually amplifies itself by the time his feet are dangling several inches away from the floor. It isn't much longer after that that we see him frantically clawing at Sonic's arms in an attempt to escape his grasp, with the rasping having come to an abrupt halt moments before. My eyes widen at the sight, but Amy's overall expression confirm what I already know – _Sonic's chocking the doctor. _

_Her face had grown pale and blank, as if her usual rosy composure had been sucked away as a consequence of being in the mist of all the ensuing chaos and despair going on around her. A new stream of tears have also welled up in her eyes and were now falling freely, partly due to the aforementioned, but also due to another surge of Chaos energy. Though given all that's going on right now I'd say the former._

Amy's doctor knelt down by her side, making some use of her dislocated arm by gently wiping away dirt and sweat from her forehead. "Easy now", she says, while struggling to hold own child in her other arm, "i know it's hard, but you have to try and relax and remain calm."

"Calm?", Amy snaps back, grabbing hold of my arm. "My boyfriend is acting in a manner that's COMPLETELY the opposite of his usual demeanor and you say I need to be CA..._oww..._"

Her doctor looks at her, then back at me, worry evident upon her face. "Is help almost here?", she asks, while I take a second to ask Tails his whereabouts over my ear piece. All I manage to get is a broken up 'almost' amidst a round of gunshots, which translates into _'Not right now. Busy.' _I then relay this to her by saying 'give him a few more minutes' while I attempt to draw more Chaos energy from Amy's abdomen.

_And this is a task within itself; while I'm drawing the energy away from them, I'm drawing it within myself as well. But given the circumstances, I'll have to discharge it via _a Chaos –_ related attack; the velocity and fervor of this energy is at a level that I would never have expected a regular person, let alone an unborn set of babies handle on their own. I'll have to disburse it quickly, and soon..._

Amy grabs a hold of my arms, motioning for me to aid her to her feet. I comply, while still attempting to draw what little energy I could. She almost falls back as another pinch of agony sweeps over her body but I manage to help her keep balance. "I have to.._stop him...",_ she mumbles while stifling back a moan.

Meanwhile, the doctor's situation has only gotten more severe. Sprawled on the ground again, Sonic's taken to kicking him in his midsection repeatedly. The grunts and hoots the doctor's making are in tune with each kick or jab, as if Sonic was instead playing a bagpipe or another wind instrument in his place. _And destroying it_ – as a soft, yet clearly audible 'crack' was heard soon after that.

_Sounds like he cracked a rib or two..._

_"MERCY!", _he wasps, while trying to inch and squirm his way from Sonic's reach. He wasn't able to get very far though, as Sonic was able to snatch him up with ease.

"You of all people," he spat, while stretching out the doctor's dominant arm and hand, "have the fucking audacity to ask for mercy?" And as if to answer that, he swiftly bent his arm at a degree that it normally shouldn't go, followed by a _'snap'_. "Don't make me laugh."

_Yet in spite of all that, the doctor still continued his feeble attempt at begging for mercy, with it doing nothing to move Sonic except towards the direction of greater anger. _"For someone so intelligent, you're sure having such a difficult time figuring this out", he snarled, while squeezing his hand in a vice like grip. "So to save you some humiliation, I'll just spell it out for you." "First, you're careless", he says, while bending his thumb back until it snaps. The doctor lets out a blood curdling scream, but he continues with the index finger."Secondly, you're selfish." _Snap. _Middle finger. _"_Insincere." _Snap. _Ring finger. _"_Disrespectful towards life in general." _Snap. _

"And", he pauses, while slowly subjecting the last finger to same treatment as the others, "completely lacking any remorse or regret over any of this save for the fact that you're now getting your **ass** handed to you on a silver plater!"

"Me..rcy..._mercy_...", the doctor murmurs, barely conscious.

"Try telling that to the boy that you ran over with your **fucking** TANK!!", he yelled, slapping the doctor in a rage. "Oh, that's right – he's **DEAD.**"

_His rage and anger all make sense now. The child that he wasn't able to reach in time...the one life he wasn't able to save has haunted him even till this day. I can understand him, as I too know how it feels to be helpless at saving someone..._

But he wasn't finished sharing his thoughts, as he continued, "You didn't stop during or even after you ran over him, and you haven't shown any indication that you regret what happened at your hands. You don't seem to care that you've taken a life or taken a son away from his mother's love and care. You _don't_ care...

And you certainly don't care if you can ask for mercy after what you were trying to do to my family. _My __**family.**_ You were willing to use them as guinea pigs to test out something that would do me in, sacrificing their lives in exchange for extinguishing my own.

That's unforgivable. I could care less about what you do to me, but when you drag my family into it, that crosses the line."

"Therefore", he says, while curling up into a ball, "Mercy is simply a luxury that I can't allow this time around."

He begins to spin until he reaches a steady speed, instantly taking up a familiar shape and revealing his next move – _Spin Dash._

But Amy wasn't having any of that, as she miraculously dashed forward to prevent Sonic from doing something that he could never take back.

**"Sonic!! STOP!!"**

* * *

(Amy's P.O.V.)

_"Stop", I shout, while dashing to his side in a burst of determination and adrenaline. _He instantly stops, no longer spinning in place and stands up, turning to face me. The dark aura that had been glowing around him before seems to have halted, instead choosing to dissolve and dissipate into the air around him.

_I understand now. He's been acting out fear. The fear of losing me, the babies, or anyone else close to him, along with carrying the painful memory of the life he couldn't save..._

_"_Please," I continue, while taking a step toward him, "Don't do this. He's not worth it.", I say, while pointing to Eggman's withered form. At this point, he seems to be struggling just to take in a single breath as his chest slowly heaves up and down while lying face down in a new pool of blood. "He's old and bitter, and has nothing better to do than to try and make others miserable. You've beaten him fair and square, time and time again, with this just being another one of those times. He's bruised, bloodied, and battered, and even possibly crippled as a result of this confrontation."

_His quills have come back down into their normal shape and his fur has lightened up to his normal shade. _I keep walking until I'm face to face with him, sighing some relief once I see that his eyes no longer carry the blank, cold expression that they previously bore. "He's not worth it", I whisper, while taking his hands into mine. "As much as I _**hate**_ him for what he's done and all that he's put us through, I know he's not worth it, especially knowing that his age won't allow him to be with us much longer."

"Plus", I continued, with new tears forming in my eyes, as well as his, "if this was ever a time to set a good example for our children, this is it." The tears are freely following from our faces as I place one of his hands on my abdomen to feel the life that he helped create. "Walking away now makes you the bigger man – the type of role model I want our children to look up to and admire, not _fear."_

_"_Just", I say, while hugging him as tight as I could amidst another surge of Chaos energy, "have _**mercy!**_"

_A normal person would be cowering over in complete fear. And after seeing what he could do when he's pushed, who wouldn't be? I know it's a bit of a gamble, but if there's any bit of the Sonic that I know and love, he'd listen to me. He'd stop. _

_And stop he did._ "_Mercy..._", he cries, returning my embrace.

I sigh relief as he kisses my forehead, whispering 'I love you' in my ear. He would have continued if he wasn't fumbling around with his ear piece, as Tails was trying to relay a message, but it didn't take too long to realize that he had finally arrived, as the Tornado made a spectacular entrance straight through one of the hanger's walls. "Tails!", we both scream out in unison, while trying to escape the shower of debris. "Can't you be a little more careful?"

"Sorry", he says sheepishly, while dusting off fragments of glass, wood, and metal from his person. _No doubt that little wreckless maneuver was a byproduct of spending so much time with Sonic. _He also goes on to apologize to both Sara and Shadow, who were caught in the bulk of where the debris finally settled.

"Nice entrance, foxboy", he said sarcastically, while carrying Sara safely in his arms. "Could you have come in a little more gracefully, or were you _completely_ oblivious to the fact that I mentioned we had a small child on hand!" Aria didn't seem too concerned with what was going on around her, save for a few screeches that accompanied her attempts at dusting the settling dust off her person.

"It's just a little dust, sweetie," Sara said while gently wiping some dust away for her.

It wasn't much longer before Shadow skated forward towards the Tornado, carefully helping Sara into the seat directly behind Tails'. Sonic and I started to follow suit, with him insisting that he carry me, but I declined, instead wanting to lean on him for support. I sighed some relief as I did so, thinking that the worst was over and we had good times ahead of us.

_Well, it wasn't over quite yet._ We're both only a few feet away from the Tornado when my ears pick up a 'click'. And a distinct one at that; as I could tell it apart from the whirling noises of the Tornado's propellers. I can tell Sonic heard it too, as he turns in the direction it came from and tenses up. His pupils shrink, and I can hear him making a soft growl, which worries me. This sudden change in his composure has me worried enough that I follow suit, looking back to try and see what has him so tense.

_I wish I hadn't, as it proves that mercy means nothing to some people._

Barely alive, but somehow having managed to move, Eggman has a gun cocked back and ready to fire, aimed directly at _me_.

"_Die..._", he wasps, releasing the trigger.

_(Shadow's P.O.V.)_

_"__**BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!"**_

_In the split second I saw __**it**__ in his hand, I knew what had to be done. And did it. Amy was now safe in my arms, though still carrying the same terrified look on her face, while trying to move out of my reach. Given all the Chaos induced energy that I've sucked out of her, I can only guess that my Chaos Control has slowed down her perception of time. _

_Maybe it was a good thing._ In the time that it had taken me to get her to safety, Sonic had managed to disarm the doctor with minimal effort, taking hold of the firearm while executing a swift, sweeping kick that sent him sliding several yards away. "Damn you..", he sputtered, wheezing as he struggled to roll onto his back.

But Sonic apparently hadn't heard a word he said, as he was preoccupied with the task of disassembling the firearm he had confiscated from the doctor. He already had broken it in several small pieces with some quick handiwork before the remaining bullets had touched the ground. All this without uttering a single word.

It wasn't until he was done that I realized that he had been hit by one of the doctor's shots. He had raised his arm up as an initial reaction to shield Amy from the gunfire, before trying to push her out of the way entirely. His blood had begun to chart its own course outside the wound, while his arm seemed to fall into a protective limp as a result of the sheer force from the bullet. It didn't take him that much longer to realize it, as he instinctively clutched the arm protectively while letting out a small yelp. "This is how you repay someone who was going to show you mercy?", he asks softly. "Someone who showed you compassion despite all you did...this?" The hand he was using to cover his wound soon began to emit a dark blue aura – _the very same that had engulfed him only moments before and driven him into a sadistic frenzy._

_He was completely engulfed by it by the time he had dashed around the doctor's body and returned to the exact spot he had been standing at moments before, discarding a few small knives and pistols on the ground, all taken apart. _"Pathetic.", he mutters, as the blue aura begins to ember and glow at a violently rapid rate. The metal remnants of the doctor's machines soon became shrapnel, flying in every imaginable direction. I create a Chaos Shield to deflect the pieces while signaling for Tails to take flight.

_Meanwhile, Amy was still locked in a semi-state of Chaos related lag. _It wasn't until I had helped her into a spare seat on the Tornado that she was aware of her surroundings, as she frantically tried to stop me from strapping her in. "What are you doing?", she yelled frantically. "Let me go!" She tries to unbuckle her seat belt, but I firmly keep her hands place, while trying to be as gentle as possible.

"I got through to him before, I can do it again!", she began to sob. "You have to let me try!"

"It's for your own good", I shout back in frustration. "His transformation seems to be fulled by his negative feelings of anger and despair. While I don't doubt your ability to calm him down, I highly doubt you'd be able to reason with him at this point, as the doctor must have tested his patience with that last stunt."

"Furthermore", I continued, calming down, "you're carrying his children, which should be reason enough to leave. Every moment you spend in this shit hole is endangering their well being."

"You're right", she finally relents, sobbing.

The Tornado is now carting down the runway, preparing for take off. Knowing immediately what needs to be done, I jump down right at the moment the biplane takes off – but not before making her a promise: _to bring him back safely._

I skate back into the hanger, immediately looking around before seeing Sonic still in a rage, with his dark aura tearing up the concrete floor beneath him. On the other side of the hanger lies the doctor, who has stopped moving altogether, but appears to be still breathing. Performing Chaos Control gets me behind Sonic, allowing me to grab a hold of him before he was able to react. "They're safe now", I tell him as he struggles in my grasp. "Calm down."

_But he was proving to be just as stubborn and thickheaded in this form as he regularly is. _It wasn't long before he forced himself out of my hold, delivering a head butt that sent me flying several feet backwards. I hadn't even had a chance to wipe the fresh blood that he had drawn from my nose when he delivered a roundhouse kick from behind. "Stay out of this.", he growls menacingly. "This ends. _Now._", he says, as he glides over to the doctor's unconscious form.

_Normally, this type of fight would be the kind I live for – an opponent who could quite possibly kick my ass and then some. Even more so that this is Sonic, who can fairly match up with me on a good day. But given all that's at stake, I have to end this quickly._

Still in mid flight from his last attack, I quickly curl up into a spin ball and dash away from him, before summoning a Chaos Emerald. "I"m afraid I can't allow you to do that", I tell him, as the other six emeralds soon follow suit, engulfing me in a yellow aura. "Since I can't reason with you, I"m going to beat you just enough to bring you back to your normal senses."

"Bring it on", he scoffed, dashing towards me.

* * *

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_I almost had him. We could be here flying away to safety together, leaving this terrible nightmare all behind us. But knowing what he wanted to do for my sake – our sake...I can't help but worry._

My mind is a scrambled mess of thoughts right now. We're high in the sky, circling Eggman's compound in the hopes that Shadow might have already been able to calm Sonic down through force. Tails had been kind enough to comply with my wish of lingering a bit, but was soon quick to voice his concern.

"Amy", he shouted over the Tornado's engines, "We can't wait any longer. This isn't safe, and you all need medical attention."

I simply nod, realizing that my concern for Sonic's safety was selfishly putting the others at risk. Aria had nearly drowned, Sara had her arm dislocated, while I myself was dealing with the possibility of being in labor, despite Shadow and Sara's efforts. I don't think I am, but even after all that Chaos energy was siphoned I still have waves of agony pulsating through me.

Laying back in my seat I try to relax while taking deep breathes, with Sara talking me through it. I'll try to concentrate on that, and nothing more. _Yet when the Tornado is caught up in a sudden powerful thunderous gust of dust and air, it's soon forgotten._

"HANG ON EVERYONE!!", Tails screams we end up spinning and whirling around, before falling into a nose drive. He pushes the steering wheel all the way down, frantically trying to pull up, with me following suit with the co-pilot's controls. We started flying in the same wind direction as the sudden gust before we were able to stabilize the controls and fly out.

We would have given each other congrats for quick thinking, but that was immediately cut short when we saw the apparent _cause _of the gust. A grey mushroom cloud had started to form down below in the wake of a sudden outburst of flames, growing bigger with each passing second.

_And in my heart of hearts, I was beginning to believe that one of my worst fears was coming to pass._ _**"SONIC!!"**_ I cried out fruitlessly. I kept my eyes on the cloud until I couldn't bear it any longer before taking my hands to my face and crying.

_Despite his resilience being proven in past instances, I can't help but fear for his life. There's always that fear in the back of my mind at times like that that he might not make it...even with Shadow being down there with him._

_Even more so knowing that I'm helpless to do anything for him, but wait. All I can really do is wait..._

* * *

_Okay folks. End of the chapter, sorry to say. We know you guys have been waiting for this for months, but hopefully it was well worth the wait, especially since a lot of you took the time to e-mail us about continuing, with specific nods to SymphyBunny, Kdoc254, Silver Shields, and a few others who took the time to PM me about it. I'd apologize but the delay, but hey – shit does happen (including my laptop HD crashing and deleting the most completed version of this chapter before I typed this up)._

_As for next chapter, well,...Amy's in the hospital for overnight observation and fearing the worst until Sonic is delivered to her safely courtesy of Shadow. And while she's overjoyed that he's alive and well, she has many, many questions for him that need answers._


	19. Rest and Reflection

_**Author's Note:**__**We know you've all been waiting for this, so we hope you enjoy it. We'll have more to say at the end.**_

* * *

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_"Everything will be alright."_ I've heard this phrase repeated several times since we've all made it to the hospital. From the doctors and nurses to Tails, Cream, and the others, I've heard it more than I care to count. But despite this I find that I'm using it as means of soothing myself by slowly saying it again and again in my head. It's probably the one thing keeping me together at the moment. I don't know how much time has passed, but I am aware that it's now evening. The doctors have decided to hold me overnight for observation since I've run a slight fever alongside some back pain and fatigue; after various tests they felt that the babies weren't in any immediate danger, but felt it would be best to make sure that my fever didn't get any worse. After previously being under restrictive measures such as bed rest, an overnight hospital stay is nothing - I'll gladly endure some random poking and prodding from doctors available at the drop of a pin than be sent home and have something unexpected happen because I was dismissed early. Especially since I'm carrying twins.

_Twins._ Another word running through my head. Not one, but _two_. _Two_ babies. I chuckle to myself as the gravity behind it has already begun to sink in. Here I was, just coming to terms with carrying one and getting ready to bring them into the world when I'll actually be doing it _twice_ in one turn. I love children and all, but now it makes me wonder all over again if I'm as ready for motherhood as I _thought_ I was...

And those are just some of _my_ thoughts – imagine Sonic's. _Oh my god, Sonic... _It's already this late with no sign of either him or Shadow. I'm not entirely surprised since more often than not Sonic tends to run off for a new challenge after facing the one in front of him, but I'd doubt he'd do that right now. Especially not after Eggman pretty much _cracked,_ by all definitions of the word. This was and still _is_ serious – he somehow went from obsessing over robotics and nuclear warheads to biological/chemical warfare. The type that could result in an epidemic, or at its worst, a _pandemic_. Definitely not his typical M.O., which consists of either using technological brute force and/or a mystical godly aid to instill enough fear in folks for the sake of establishing a dictatorship.

G.U.N. also must be on the same page that I am since they sent Rouge out to take notes down from all of us.I'd normally be a bit mum about what I told them, given that they've sometimes been a bit too quick in taking action before getting the entire story. But I guess I'm glad that it's her and not some random by-the-book bloke; her morals might be a tad questionable but she does have empathy where it counts. She'd gotten me up to speed and told me that a small task force had been formed and was going through the debris, looking for information on the biological experimentation he was trying to conduct upon me and the babies. Also told me that based on Sara's statement they were actively looking for at least one body_ – Eggman's. _

_ "Based on your accounts of how badly Sonic must have kicked his ass," she said solemnly, "there's a good chance he might actually be dead this time around. I don't want to be 100% about it, but all those disadvantages such as his age, injuries, and being caught in a blast don't make it look too good for him."_

_ She must have noticed how pale I went because she commented on being worried about Shadow herself. "Sounds just like him to stay behind in the face of danger," she chuckled. "He's managed to make it back in one piece each time but it doesn't stop you from thinking that the worst might have happened." _

_ We chatted about our concern some more before she received a call on her work phone. Brief as it was, I knew right away that whatever was said, it wasn't anything good as the color on her face flushed out a shade lighter. _

_ "Th..Thank you," she stuttered, before hanging up. Turning to me, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before whispering: "...they found the remains of a hand. They were able to ID it as being human based on the size and width, so it's not Sonic or Shadow."_

_ "But I guess that could possibly mean," I choked out, "that it's... Eggman?"_

_ "Yes." she nodded. "It's...really looking like he might have actually bit the big one, y'know?" She stayed a few more minutes before getting up to leave and added: "But it's just a hand. Maybe that fat old bastard actually did make it out sans that one big piece."_

That was all awhile ago. Rouge might have been trying to empathize with me and lighten my train of thought, but it only succeeded in making me worry more. With nothing more to go on other than Sonic and Shadow still aren't accounted for along with one charred human limb, the scenarios playing around in my head aren't good. With Eggman dead in most of them. I know he's put all of us through some grief lately, but this...I dunno. A life is still a life, I suppose, but even at that it _does_ end.

_I'm just wondering if it was Sonic that helped bring it to that very end._

All the stress and worrying has taken its toll, as I find myself worn and tired from all that's happened. I decide that taking a nap is the best course of action to alleviate it while I wait for more info...

_(Shadow's P.O.V.)_

_ "Idiot." _I whisper as I carry his unconscious form into the emergency room. Don't know what the use is though - he's not awake to bark back with an insult. Some staffers run up to me and take him from my grasp, loading him onto a stretcher before crowding around and trying to put my ass in a wheelchair. They know us here as we've all been admitted to this particular hospital on more than one occasion. Fairly certain that Amy's here as well, recuperating in another section.

After some persistence, I'm finally able to convince them that the only medical attention I need is simply first aid. A few scratches and cuts here and there, and absolutely nothing that some cotton and peroxide won't fix. Stuff I can easily take care of myself in my own spare time, if at all.

He gave me one hell of a fight, I'll admit. Might have been able to have ended it sooner if I wasn't purposely holding back per Amy's wishes, but I'm not sure that would have ended well. No. It _wouldn't_ have ended well. I'd imagine there'd be a few more broken appendages and maybe even a ruptured organ...he's lucky the _**only**_ thing I did to him was dislocate an arm. Speaking of which, he slowly started to come to as the nurses suture the wound he suffered from that bullet, with an ER doctor relocating his arm with a sling in hand. He's not fully conscious yet, but just enough to groan in agony and murmur a few choice words. Particularly _her_ name...

One of the nurses rolls into the examination room with the same wheelchair that had been intended for me. With some combined effort, we plant the faker's spent ass in it with a _thud_, which he probably felt as he mumbled a few unintelligible curses. The nurse offers to wheel him for me, but I insist on doing it myself, instead asking for Amy's room number.

"Just a moment," she says, while taking a glance at an admission chart nearby. "She's not listed here in the ER, so you'll have to excuse me for a moment while I double check."

It's more than likely that they might have situated her within the confines of the Maternity ward given how far along she is, as well as carrying twins. I'm no expert, but if I had to guess I'd say the stress of all that's gone on in the past few days might have triggered an early labor. It worries me greatly, despite the amount of energy I was able to siphon in that short time.

The nurse returns, giving me a specific room number within the maternity ward. She mouths off something about speaking softly and noise levels, but I'm not paying her any more mind. Common courtesy and sense, after all – which some of the visitors seem to lack. Seems we've arrived during peak visitation hours. Must be passing the nursery, as a crowd of people have gathered, making cameras flash amidst "oohs" and "ahs". Also heard some faint whimpers and cries, which I'll take as a kid or two telling those folks to shut the hell up. _But I shouldn't be surprised – I already see our group engaging in the same behavior when those children arrive into this world._

After a few more turn of corners, we finally arrive, with familiar faces to greet us. Rouge is on her G.U.N. issued work phone, while fox boy and his rabbit companion have crowded around the wheelchair. Faker seems to stir more in reaction to their voices, so I think it's safe to say he'll be fully awake soon. I motion for them to step aside, as I begin wheeling him into the room. They seem a bit disappointed, but comply without hesitation. I also nod to Rouge before closing the door, confirming that we'll talk in private once my business is done here.

She was taking a nap, a light one at that, as her eyes slowly flicker open to greet us. One glance at her tear stained face already tells me that this ordeal has worn her out as I'm now seeing things that I had missed. Dark circles under jade eyes in a sea of lively, though pale pink. A normally radiant smile bruised between chapped and split lips, and all framed within tussled, sweaty bangs. I inwardly grimace, as I realize those lovely little "marks" are just a testament of the Doctor's _wonderful_ care during this short period of captivity.

And as if aware of my thoughts, or more specifically, my gaze, she instinctively moves a hand to wipe her face and style her bangs. "I...must look a lively mess," she says, breaking the silence.

"I didn't mean to stare," I say back, finally setting the wheelchair by her bedside before seating myself in a visitor's chair next to it. "by all means, you look..._terrible_, though I'm hoping that's not how you _feel_. How have you been holding up so far?''

But she ignored my question altogether, asking one that I knew was coming from the start. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked bluntly, gesturing over to the semi-conscious faker in the wheelchair. Her tone was even, calm, and unbroken despite the recent hell that she had been through. The hint of even the slightest bit of unease in her voice was absent, as if she was using what strength she had left to will her way into the upkeep of this strong facade.

"He'll be fine," I answer.

And as if the weight of the cosmos had been lifted from her shoulders, she sighed relief and began to shed a new set of fresh tears. Soothing tears of joy in contrast to the ones of fear, agony, and despair shed during this whole ordeal.

"You didn't answer my question." I press on.

Rubbing her stomach, she finally tells me they're keeping her overnight as a precautionary measure due to the onset of a moderate fever of 101.8 degrees. An adverse effect of acute exposure to first hand Chaos energy I figure, but seemingly the only one as the vitals for both mother and children seem otherwise fine; the sense of any Chaos energy is minute, limited to lingering energy auras surrounding the faker and myself, with the one surrounding her very faint in comparison.

Biting her lip, she adjusted herself, finding a more comfortable reclining position in the bed. "I've answered yours, now please answer _mine_," she said after a while. "_**What**_ happened?"

That's a good question...

_My mind flashed back to a few hours before, when we had just parted ways._ _Foxboy's jalopy of an air craft was quickly becoming yet another speck in the sky before I turned my attention back to ground level. Back to the chaos, that was, for lack of a better term, swirling around me. Dust and soot. Concrete. Asphalt. Scraps of charred, broken metal clanging together in the distance. Frantically swirling around in a funnel cloud of chaotic, dark energy surrounding him. The eye of this artificial storm. _

_ I Chaos Controlled directly behind him, taking him tightly within my grasp in an effort to calm him down. "They're safe now," I told him as he struggled. "Calm down." I was rewarded with a head butt for my troubles, which sent me reeling back several feet. Didn't have a chance to brace myself as I soon felt a sharp kick from behind that sent me airborne. _

_ "Stay out of this," he growled, before turning his attention to the unconscious doctor. He was so drawn up in his rage that he seemed unconcerned with crossing that fine line. One which, given his true nature, he would considerably regret if he were in his regular state of mind. One which I could not let him cross._

_ I summoned one Chaos Emerald to my side, with the rest following suit, engulfing me in a golden aura and augmenting my abilities to the point where I was on par with his. We've both done this many times in order to save the world from a foreign, menacing threat. _

_ Now the threat was __**him**__... _

_ "I'm through asking," I said, slowing time down to all but a crawl. "Now I'm __**telling**__ you to- UMPH!" I saw stars as I was struck from behind with a Spin Attack, knocking me off my feet and forcing me to go airborne. Another hit and I'm spinning myself, but not of my own will as the force was enough to negate my ability to counter. _

_ He kept hitting, striking...forcing me away to the point that I was unable to momentarily concentrate my focus into Chaos Control. He knew what I was trying to do, which is slow him down, and he's making damn sure I can't do it. He also knows that I was holding back on having a full go at him, and he's been using it to his advantage. _

_ By this point, I'm frustrated, and in a moment of silent apology to Amy, I let loose a Chaos Spear after I parried a few of his attacks to buy some time. _

_**Big**__ mistake. _

_ Next thing I knew we're engulfed in flames. Literally. I mentally berated myself for being so stupid as to forget the fact that the smell of fuel had been in the air the entire time, as even the slightest spark could have set everything aflame. The sudden burst of heat is so intense that it threw us back several feet, before encircling the both of us, as well as the unconscious doctor. Gasoline was fueling the fervor of the flames, making it difficult to breathe, or see, even with a Chaos Shield for protection._

_ "This has to end __**now**__!" I shouted at him, Chaos Controlling myself between him and the doctor's fallen form. Another BOOM is heard in the distance, telling me that time is running out for this place; the flames must have reached the fuel storage containers, and they're going off like firecrackers, one by one. I attempt to grab the doctor but a nearby explosion blew me clear away from his side, with flaming debris and soot blocking my view of him. I try and dig my way around the debris but am greeted with a swift kick to the face for my troubles._

_ "Let him die!" he screamed at me, while putting me into a choke hold. "This is poetic justice!"_

_ I ribbed him a couple of times in the gut, before delivering a head butt that sent him back a few feet, and continued my search. "There's still time to save hi.."_

_ He performed a Spin Dash that sent me flying into a crumbling brick wall."Save him so that he can pull the same shit again a few months from now?" he spat back. "I don't think so." _

_ He Spin Dashed into me so hard that the force is enough for the floor beneath me to crack and crumble. I Chaos Control for a split second and manage to grab hold of one of his arms, before letting time resume its natural course. My ears are greeted with a SNAP, which is further emphasized as I watch his arm go limp. _

_ Sorry Amy, but he left me no choice._

_ "I tried to do this the easy way," I say as I dragged him off and away into another wall. "But you're asking for hard, so I'm more than happy to oblige."_

_ If I could only tire him out for a little longer...his Chaos energies are running low and it shouldn't be too long before he loses this enlightened form. _

_ Threw him into a wall, pushing my weight into him in an attempt to tire him out from struggling. He squeaked, spitting blood into my face for my troubles, and I rewarded him with a head butt for being oh so delightful._

_ "Yeah, keep acting like an ass," I whispered in his ear as he tried to knee my gut. "it's just a step down from murderer. I'm sure Amy and your kids would be so proud of you and the way you protected them...beating on a shriveled, defenseless old man that you practically crippled if you hadn't beaten him within an inch of his life..."_

_ He suddenly let out a loud gasp, as his pupils returned to their normal color. Staggering, he wobbled away from my grasp, looking on at the burning chaos that surrounded us. _

_ "What...have I done..?," he rasped, before collapsing altogether._

_ I scoop him up, and with what little strength I had left in my own enlightened form, I Chaos Controlled the both of us out of there, several hundred feet away from the complex before it goes black. When I come to it's already evening, with the charred remains being inspected by G.U.N. agents._

_ ...and that's what happened. _

_ "So Eggman's...?," she asks after a long pause._

"It's looking that way, more or less." I reply. "Even if I had been able to dig him out of that debris, it's very likely he wouldn't have survived."

Another long pause. She knows why and the implications are dancing around in her head this very moment.

I stand up to leave, my work already done and promise fulfilled. She grabs my hand as I'm about to move towards to door, gesturing for me to stay a moment longer. "Yes?," I ask, hunching down at bed level to meet her gaze.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she says, pulling me into an embrace. I close my eyes as I'm hit with a warm, subtle fragrance of lilacs and lilies before I feel a warm kiss on my forehead.

Wasn't expecting that, and I can already feel a blush growing across my face. I quickly tell her she's welcome before making a swift exit, bumping into Rouge, who fell into me as I opened the door. No doubt she'd been eavesdropping. Helping her up, I signal for her to follow me as I promise to brief her for our report, leaving Amy and her semi-conscious faker to themselves to discuss more pressing matters...

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_ I suddenly found myself in the hospital, and in the delivery room. I see Amy exhausted and wary, worn out from hours of ongoing labor, but it seems to be ending soon as is encouraging her to keep at it. She cried out for me to hold her hand as another contraction hit, and I reached out to comfort her, only to find that I couldn't. I'm at her bedside and yet she can't see or hear me, and my hand went straight through hers, as neither her or the doctor can see me. _

Then I realized that there's no one else in the delivery room but us.

_No...wait. This couldn't be..._

BANG!

Dr. Torinai dropped to the ground, where a pool of blood quickly began to gather around her fallen form. Amy was in too much pain to notice at first, but when the contraction passed, she noticed the blood spatter that has covered her from head to toe and starts to scream frantically. But she stopped abruptly, as I see fear immediately rising in her eyes. She still can't see or hear me, so whatever's frightened her is directly behind me.

I turned around just in time to see Eggman, brandishing a semi-automatic, and pointing it at Amy. I tried to tackle him, but I go right through him, as dense as he is. I watched in horror as she falls out of the bed in fear and tries to crawl away.

"And just when you need him the most," he said while cocking the trigger, "he's not here. Pity."

...

I woke up with a start, in my apartment, my quills standing on end as a chill went down my spine.

"Poor baby..," Amy cooed from behind me as she stroked my quills. "You were having a bad dream..."

I sighed, believing it to be all one really twisted nightmare. Eyes still closed, I gave one of her hands a playful kiss, only to find it uncomfortably cold. With a jump, I looked up, only to see a pale, bloody Amy looking at me with a lifeless gaze.

_"Why couldn't you save us..."_

I..I'm not fast enough. I just wasn't able to save them all. Why does this keep on happening?

...

I jump up, but nearly fell out of whatever I was seated in as a result of my fright. A quick glance at my surroundings shows that I'm in a hospital, and at Amy's bedside, where she's currently asleep (and still pregnant). I sigh relief, but flinch when I notice that it hurts too much to move to one side, before seeing one of my arms in a sling.

Then things start to flood back into my head, and I frown, as the real gravity and reality of what has happened starts to sink in.

_And more importantly, what I may have done..._

_ (Amy's P.O.V.)_

_ "Hey."_

_ I guess I must have fallen asleep again after Shadow ran out. _

Open my eyes to find a pair of warm, emerald pupils smiling back at me. He's back to his normal self, though a tad roughed up, as one of his arms is bandaged and hanging in a sling. Despite all that, he still manages to smile, and it's contagious as it makes me smile too. As if this were too good to be true, I pinch myself and flinch, realizing that it's not a dream. He jokingly mirrors my gesture and flinches himself, grimacing as he pinched his bandaged arm.

"We're both not dreaming," he jests while rubbing his arm.

It gets quiet after that, as I only have one thing I want to ask him, but at the same time I don't want to as I fear both the response and reaction to it. Both his and mine for the latter. But as if he already knew, he asks instead if he could get comfortable first – by getting into bed with me. Despite being a tad reluctant (as I know all too well how things could go in the heat of the moment), I allow him to join me on the hospital bed, cautioning him to be careful of the various machines they had me attached to. He's half way into the space I've made for him on the bed when he flinched, nearly collapsing on top of me if I hadn't stretched out my arms to support his frame. Still weak, my arms start to tremble under his weight and as he tries to regain his balance, our eyes meet, and I get that wishy washy feeling I've always felt whenever I'm alone in his company...or more specifically, in the moments when we join as one. And as if a mirror's reflection, he must have felt it too as he's blushing just as furiously and as red as I am right now. I've lived just for this moment...this feeling, but -

"Oh hey guys," said Tails, who burst in suddenly. "Just wanted to – WHOA!" The two tailed fox quickly covered his eyes, backing away and shutting the door faster than when he had opened it, all while mumbling about how Sonic made his "moves lightning quick".

Then I feel that all too familiar object brush against my hip. Exasperated, I quickly let go of him, turning away as his ass lands on the cold floor with a THUD. "You're ridiculous!" I yell at him from the bed, blushing profusely. "How can THAT be on your mind right now at a time like this?"

He dusts himself off, before limping to and hopping into the space beside me in one motion, with me leering at him as he could have done that himself this whole time. "Oh ...," he admonishes while getting comfortable. "You had that look on your face too, so don't just go blaming me. You know how that look makes me ..."

"...and you know what it can **do**," I say while rubbing my stomach.

Silence again becomes the norm between us, though more awkward as we're so close to one another. I haven't forgotten what I wish to ask, though I'm reveling in the feeling of being so close to him after all of this. His scent, heart beat and breathing...they're all lulling me into a sense of security that only he's been capable of giving me...though a part of me has a sense of fear looming, given current events. I shiver, which he feels, and tries to pull me closer, but I hesitate, looking him eye to eye as I bring myself to ask...

"...did you kill Eggman?"

More silence. I stare at him, watching... waiting for any type of response to what I had asked. He was staring back at me just as intently, with a hint of sadness slowly surfacing on his features: no longer smiling, furrowed brow, and formerly radiant eyes looking downward as if out of shame.

"I think I might have...," he said softly, trailing off.

"...why?" I whispered, as new tears began to form, "He couldn't even fight back anymore, so he wasn't _**even**_ a threat.."

"You talk as if I _did_ kill him..."

"Despite you choosing your words carefully, what else am I supposed to think, Sonic? I watched as you beat the man within an inch of his life, and according to Rouge, G.U.N. was and probably still ARE picking up body parts. Body parts! They've already found a charred hand, so that leaves what? Another hand, two legs, and a whole bunch of other stuff to look for.

I even tried to talk you out it..."

"Are you forgetting the part where he tried to shoot you in the stomach?" he countered back. "Or the part where he practically kept you, your doctor, and her child as guinea pigs for the past few days? He even nearly made you and our baby into a living Roman candle with all that Chaos energy. How was I supposed to let him get away with treating people like that?

"...by doing what you've _always_ done and being the better man." I say back, barely above a whisper. "You've always shown compassion and mercy to anyone you've met, regardless of whether or not you were protecting them or fighting them."

I glanced over at him, as the gravity of my words were already causing him to tear up. "Why should this time have been any different?"

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

I think it goes without saying that she's pissed. No, more than pissed. Disappointed. I wasn't expecting her to be happy or pleased with what happened, but I'm at least hoping she can understand where I'm coming from. She's always been so good at understanding folks, so I hope she can do the same for me. _Maybe_...or not. She just looks so hurt, and I can't fault her for that, despite all that's been on my mind of late. I had so many chances to just walk away and move on, but I couldn't. Something inside of me just _snapped_ the moment he decided to take it to the next level...

"If it was like any other time, I would have left it alone and walked away," I say softly. "But it wasn't, and I had to make choices that I see you don't agree with. If you want a definite answer, then yes, I did kill him. I rather think I did than not at all and let it eat me up inside..."

"Like you did with that kid?" she fired back. "I've told you so many times that what happened that day wasn't your fault. You did your best, and that's all that matters. But looking at all that's happened lately it's pretty clear that you still haven't forgiven yourself for it, and it's starting to affect what you do.

I've never seen you so angry...so cold before. It almost...almost..."

She paused, choking back a new set of tears, before continuing: "I..it..It almost..makes me wonder...if you would ever hurt me or the babies..."

"I would never dare lay a hand on you or the baby, Amy." _I wouldn't. I know better than that, and if I ever did, I hope lightning strikes me dead._

"I know...but the fact that the thought's there is scaring me. But what _**really**_ scares me is that you kept this...guilt in you for this long on your own and you didn't try to tell me a damn thing. Not once. I've told you time and again that I'm here for you and will listen to whatever might be on your mind so that you don't have to go it alone...but you couldn't even trust me to do _that_ for you."

_This is a step up from disappointment. Devastated. _And here I thought I was doing a good thing by trying to be her rock through these past few months by giving her the soft, yet silent support she's needed during this pregnancy, when she's been just as willing to return it tenfold. I'm not an expert with relationships, but I can tell I messed up pretty bad... again. Even if I haven't meant to, I haven't been up front with my feelings on everything, and it's upset her for the second time since we've gotten into this relationship. The first time being my actions after finding out she was pregnant, which I admit was a dick move on my part. Especially after seeing the resulting stress and ill consequences that brought upon her.

I guess it's a habit I have though...driving her away for her own safety. I'm afraid of what might happen if she ever got too close, too deep, even after admitting how I feel about her. Yet I can see that the further I push her away, the further her trust and patience with me is pressed, and if I keep on pushing...it just might shatter.

_I can't keep doing this..._

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

"I've given you my heart, body, and soul...so why can't you trust me?" I ask him after a while. "Am I just supposed to sit here and watch as you fall to pieces from internal guilt and Chaos knows what else?"

Then he tries to tell me that he didn't want to further stress me out in my current condition, but all that does is set me off, with me nearly pushing him off the bed in my anger. I will not let anyone, including him, use me as some sort of scrape goat excuse for not owning up to their own shortcomings. "You make it sound like I'm suffering from a terminal illness rather than starting a family with you!" I shouted in my anger.

I would have stayed angry from lack of understanding, until he opened up to me...about his _nightmares._

"At first, it wasn't so bad," he said. "I'd shrug it off as a bad dream and try not to think about it too much. But it was always in the back of my mind, and it started to play on over and over like some crappy B-flick a channel will play when they have nothing else. It just felt so...real, and raw, with me doing everything I could to stop it from happening once I caught wind of it in my dreams. But he was always one step ahead of me..."

I soften up as I start to understand the reason behind what I thought was misdirected rage. "So when it happened for real these past few days, it was just as if your nightmare was happening in real time, right?" He simply nodded, but that just made me more angry. "And there in lies the danger of keeping everything to yourself. Who knows what you might have done if you were wound up more tightly than you already are? You could have done far worse and hurt more folks, including me and the babies." Quieting down, I sigh, continuing: "I..I don't think even my support alone is going to help us through this..."

He jumped up, as a sense of worry washed over his face. "Amy, please..." he pleaded with me, "..don't give up on me."

"I'm not," I tell him. "I just think that...you could possibly benefit from some type of professional help, like counseling. And I'm not just saying it because of what's happened the last few days – I'm saying it because this has been something I've noticed about you for as _long_ as I've known you. When it comes to dealing with emotional stress, you seem to want to be everyone's rock while neglecting your own needs. And while that might have worked in the past, I don't think it's been working well for you this time."

"I'll be fine," he chuckles. "This just happens to be harder for me to shake is all. Running, relaxation, and a change of scenery has always been the best way for me to straighten out and reflect. Not sitting around and having some stranger poke at my brain like I'm a head case or damaged goods."

"But it helps, Sonic," I say reassuringly. "Trust me, I know first hand."

I went on to explain how counseling had been set up for me when I became emancipated shortly after our first encounter. The orphanage where I had stayed for most of my early life was against it, but set it up as the sole condition, as part of a program that prepped me for my entrance into the real world. "I really hated it at first," I said, "but with each session, it made me realize that the counselor was only trying to get me to open up and accept things about myself and my life that I wanted to ignore, as well as the finality of my decision."

"Things like how no one will be there to change your sheets if you wet the bed?," he joked, somewhat curious.

"No," I chuckled back, "Things like what the definition of "being on my own" actually meant. I wasn't going out of the system as young adult, and I wasn't being adopted into someone's family. I had to realize that I was essentially going into the world with NO family to run to when the going got tough. That any teasing I got at the orphanage was nothing compared to how cruel and cold people could be in the real world.

But above all else, that despite how dark and scary the world might seem, there were plenty of good things to look for, see, and take from it that would make me into a stronger person on my own. Things like traveling around the world for adventure and following my heart."

"Not even the best counseling could have prepped you for all the times Eggfart held you against your will," he scoffed, "or all the times where it was nearly the end of the world, what with Chaos, Dark Gaia, or some other primordial evil shaking up the status quo."

_Hmph. Not even listening to a word I said._ "Okay, I'll bite. What exactly do you have against going to counseling, Sonic?" I ask bluntly. "I'm trying to give you a positive opinion about how it's helped me live my life, but you've just been overly dismissive. What's wrong?"

He looked away, fidgiting with the hospital bed sheet, pillow or anything else in the immediate vicinity of his reach, as if to stall time itself, but I press on. "Goddamnit, Sonic!" I half screamed out, startling him. "What the hell is YOUR issue with counseling?"

**"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE REMINDED OF EVERYTHING THAT'S EVER GONE WRONG IN MY LIFE!"** he yelled back.

...

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_ I'm going a mile a minute, and I know most of it's unintelligible rambling, but I'm sharing it with her. Venting. Letting out every single massively bad thing that's ever happened to me in the blink of an instant. She's crying, frightened and recoiling at my touch. The buzz of the hospital equipment she's hooked up to is buzzing and beeping like crazy, and it isn't until staff run in that I'm snapped out of whatever I'm saying. Then it all goes black._

"Sonic?" is the first thing I hear when I come to, and when I open my eyes, it's almost as if I'm looking into a reflection of my own. Amy's looking down on me beside her place on the bed, patting away the sweat on my head with a damp wash cloth. She signals for me not to get up, but I winch back in pain before I could head her advice, mumbling about how it feels like I got hit by a brick wall.

"They sedated you," she says plainly. "You weren't making a lick of sense or listening to reason, so you left them with no other choice. I had to get Tails and the others to lobby just to keep you here with me because they wanted to restrain you in some other room."

Sorry was the only thing I could mutter, but she wasn't having any of that. "Sorry doesn't cut it, buster," she said sharply. "Your little episode was enough that they're trying to keep me for another day. It sent my blood pressure and the fetal heart rates up enough that they were marks of concern."

She got me up to speed on the time as it's already the early afternoon of the following day, with the others having gone home to rest. Rouge and Shadow had since been long gone, most likely prepping a lengthy, detailed report on the incident for G.U.N. Tails would be stopping by later with Cream, who had offered to stop by Amy's place to get her hospital bag. And Vanilla had actually popped in to check up on us, and ended up giving Ames advice about a new issue that had arisen while I was out cold: finding a new OB/GYN on short notice.

"D-D-Dr. Torinai won't see us anymore?" I asked in my still hazy stupor. "B-b-but..," I sputtered, barely intelligible. Whatever they had sedated me with had one heck of a wonky afterglow.

"Oh c'mon, Sonic!" Amy grumbled. "I can't say I blame her. If anything, I feel for her. Eggman went through the trouble of endangering her other patients, livelyhood, and child in order to get to us. The latter of which I almost saw nearly drown because she was trying to be a good doctor to me. Asking her to continue on as my doctor would be incredibly selfish..."

Come to find out that the doctor herself came by last night out of concern about the spike in fetal heart rate. Amy hadn't hesitated to ask about Aria, and was none too pleased to hear that she was also being kept for overnight observation due to a sudden fever brought on from her ordeal.

"I brought the subject up," she said softly. " tried to brush it off, but I knew from the look on her face that she wanted to bring it up. She even gave me a few referrals, but gave me her emergency number just in case.

I could tell she was torn between wanting to be a good doctor and a good mother. But after what happened with Aria...I didn't want to be the reason she couldn't be both."

She sighed, falling back onto her pillow before turning to face me. "It just makes me wonder how normal a life our kids can live. I don't want them to shut themselves off from the world because the people around them might get hurt as a means to get to them."

"At the risk of being a hypocrite," I smirked. "Pot to kettle: You're black. You and I both know that the world isn't always peaches and rainbows. We've both learned that in spades, including what's happened in the last few days. They'll have to learn and accept it too, because as much as it pains me to say this, we both won't be around forever to watch over them. We can only hope for the best and show them how to cope when things get rough."

"Oh?," she murred, sounding playful. "Does that mean you'll go to consoling and improve your coping skills?"

_I mentally gulped. I knew she'd waste no time in asking after such a point blank declaration like that. But I suppose the first step to being a good parent is doing things you don't want to do, so..._

"If it'll get you off my back," I grumbled, "I'll give it a try. But don't say I didn't warn you when I say I'm not to the touchy feely type."

"I know you aren't," she smiled softly. "But it's a start."

Just then, Cream and her mother walked through the door, Tails close behind, with what looked like Amy's hospital bag and a few other items from her apartment. We both sat up as best we could as the look on both their faces told us that we were in for another round of bad news.

"You've been evicted from your apartment," Vanilla said softly.

"They threw all your stuff and my bassinet on the sidewalk!", Cream sobbed, as she ran to Amy's side to give her a comforting hug.

"W-Why?," was all Amy could muster. "I've lived there since I've first been on my own. I've always pay on time each month, with the exception of being out of town while taking down Eggman. Even then, I've always made sure to pay as soon as possible."

"Don't forget your recent bed rest," Vanilla added.

"That couldn't be it," I added. "I did that for Amy while she was on bed rest. All she did was write out the check and address, and I dropped it in the mailbox just right outside the grocer-"

"You mean, the grocery a block or two from the apartment?," Amy chimed in, eyes wide with realization.

_**Oh shit.**__ The very same one that we'd placed the last two months' rent into when we went grocery shopping for my birthday dinner. The very same one that, along with the sidewalk it was on were decimated thanks to a classic and unwarranted confrontation courtesy of one not so rad and red echidna._

_**"KNUCKLES!,"**_we shouted in unison.

"When we came back from Rouge's that day, we saw the mailman," Amy sobbed. "He was annoyed that much of the mail inside would be illegible because of the water main fracture."

"Oh Sonic, what am I going to do?" she sobbed as she clung to me. "This is horrible! It was just big enough for us and now I have to go and.."

"Amy."

"I don't know where I'll find a decent apartment on such short notice with more than one room and.."

Amy?"

"Who would do this to a pregnant lady with twins when she's so far into her pregnancy?"

"AMY!" I yelled. "Don't worry about it. I know this is short notice and all, but...you can move in with me. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"Wha? Really?," she gasped as she pulled me into a tight squeeze. "Are you sure that we can manage? Even with all my stuff and the fact that we'll be multiplying by two in a few weeks?"

"It's a piece of cake," I chuckled. "We'll be fine. I have two spare bedrooms aside from mine because the landlord was a relative of someone I'd saved in the past and wouldn't take no for an answer. Plus I don't have much in the way of stuff anyway, what with saving the world on a regular basis. Not much time to relax and bring out my innner interior decorater."

"But it's still kind of a lot of change in a short period of time," she insisted.

"Not really," I replied, blushing faintly. "We've...kinda been doing it for months at your place. I haven't really spent much time at my place since we've, _er_..you _know_."

"You don't have to worry about your things either," Cream said. "Mama and I made arrangements for your things to be brought to our house until you got back on your feet, but we can easily have them brought to Sonic's."

_And she pulled me into yet another bonecrushing hug, but I'm not complaining. She's happy, I'm happy. _

_ "...I love you," she says, before pulling me into a soft kiss._

_ "Love you lots too," I say as I reciprocate. _

"Ahem." Tails coughed. We had all but forgotten that he'd been in the room alongside the rest of us.

"I'd hate to go two for two and kill the mood again, but I think you guys might wanna prep yourselves for this."

And with that, he pressed the power button of the room's television remote. The screen became illuminated with a breaking news bulletin on nearly every channel as he flipped through. Most with blips concerning the clash and destruction of Eggman's most recent hideout by my hands. But more shockingly the fact that Amy and I were soon to be parents. The screen flashed with different reporters and camera men with various shots in front of or around the hospital.

_"Breaking news: Sonic the Hedgehog a Father to Be! After the aftermath of the destruction of one of Dr. Eggman's most recent bases, Sonic and his company of heroes have been admitted to Station Square General for routine medical assistance. But not in the regular sense of bandages and stiches. Eyewitness reports place a heavily pregnant Amy Rose, one of the hero's most adamant supporters and self-proclaimed love interest as being among the earlier set of people admitted prior to our blue hero. She and several others had reportedly been held captive at Dr. Eggman's compound before it was decimated. _

Flip to another channel: _"Sonic the Hedgehog a father? And with Amy Rose of all people? The blue hedgehog is normally very mum about his love life, but not any longer. It absolutely makes more sense now as Ms. Rose has been conveniently absent from the public eye in recent months..."_

And one more: _"There is no way in hell that baby is his! Recent intel suggests that Shadow the Hedgehog is the likely culprit behind the bun in Ms. Rose's oven, as the two have been spotted in each other's company often before the former's sudden absence form public view.."_

_ "_ Ugh. Turn it off, Tails," I frowned after the last channel.

"This was one of the main reasons you guys have been able to stay together here so privately," Tails explained. "The maternity ward is generally highly monitored as it is to begin to prevent newborns from behind swiped in the blink of an eye."

"But it's because of that that the media knows," said Vanilla. "Apparently, security has been tightened to the point of inconveniencing a few new parents from bonding with their new babies. Once they saw us coming in and out without as many restrictions, they must have put two and two together and told the press."

"So they're all on baby watch now?," Amy mumbled. "Great. Just great."

"Not for much longer," Tails corrected. "At least, not today. The both of you have already been discharged, so we're getting ready to leave right now."

"Right now?", Amy repeated, shocked.

"Yup. Station Square police have been dispatched, and they've cleared out media people from the back and side entrances. We need to get you guys ready and out of here within the hour before it starts to get really crazy with the independent paparazzi."

_And with that, everyone sprang into action, picking up our belongings and gathering them to rush out the door on this short notice. As Amy wobbled to the bathroom to change into a new set of clothes that Cream had brought for her, I shot her a smile. Not my regular smile, or my cocky smile, or my nervous smile. But a smile that told her that no matter what happens this moment, I'll make sure that everything turns out alright. _

_ She managed to shoot me back one of her own just before she closed the bathroom door._

* * *

_Alright folks. We know it's been a long time coming. A good four years coming in fact. But we hoped that you've enjoyed this chapter as I've typed up bits and pieces here and there when I had a spare moment from real life. This clocks in at a hearty 16 pgs singled spaced, which I know some of you expect given my writing style. I hope we neither disappointed or fell short from previous chapters of this story with this one.  
_

_ Four years is a long time for anything, especially for the update of one chapter to a story. I think the time has given both Kawaii Sonikku and I a lot of opportunities to look back and rework the structure of the planned chapters, and one of the last few times that I spoke to her about it, we agreed that the next chapter should at least be some sort of satisfactory, but open ended conclusion. There are chapters we had planned after that would showcase the birth of their children as well as Sonic and Amy navigating their first few weeks of parenthood. But with a good eighteen chapters previous and this one added to include nineteen, I do not know if that would be fair to readers of this fan fiction, new or old. _

_ I know there are several great fan fics out there that have become orphaned/incomplete due to obligations in the author's real life, and I do not wish this fate for Secret Affair. It is the least we can do, especially to those of you who have been vocal to remind us to update._

That said, next chapter will be a happier one. Amy finally gets her surprise baby shower and both she and Sonic reflect on both the day itself as well as the past with hopes for the future.


	20. We've Come to Terms

_**Author's Note:**__ Alright folks. Another chapter rolling out for you to enjoy. Let's get to it, shall we? _

* * *

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_ "Watch your step there, Ames," I said as we strolled alone together. It's a beautiful day in the month of August, and we're both out and about enjoying the last few rays of sunshine that it has to offer. She's half walking (or rather, a waddle, as I've come to notice of late), and seems to be having a harder time moving around. Part because of her condition, but also her choice of clothes for the day, which is a flowing , long reddish orange maxi dress. As I catch her again from another potential trip, I inwardly wish she'd chosen something less hazardous despite how lovely it looks._

"Don't give me that look," she pouted before pausing to catch her breath. "You'd be doing a funny waddle too if you were eight months pregnant." She leaned on me for a little support, steadying herself with one hand on one of my shoulders while holding onto a bouquet of flowers in the other.

Concerned, I worry if our little excursion is too much for her. "Maybe we should turn back?" I ask as I hold on to her. "It's getting late and you've had a very busy day today, after all."

But she shakes it off, insisting she can press on with me. "Oh no," she admonishes me. "Don't go using the baby shower as a reason to chicken out. We're almost there."

I inwardly chuckle, as this has become a regular exchange between the both of us with the natural progression of the pregnancy; I've noticed some of what must be the more unpleasant aspects while she's more than willing to press on without much protest. As of late, symptoms such as her swollen ankles and back ache have me going slower for her than I'd like to admit, but all it does it irritate her more than help.

"But you've been on your feet most of today," I pointed out. "At least take it easy for a few minutes?"

She would have protested further, but the sudden winch she made had me freeze. "..is it..?" was all I managed to blurt out before I swept her up bridal style in my arms.

"It's not _that_ time yet," she yelped in protest. "But if you insist. Let's just rest for a few minutes under the shade of a tree nearby. These flip flops are really killing my feet today..."

I gingerly sprint over to the biggest tree nearby - a matronly looking oak tree that had plenty of shade to give. Carefully, I place her down against the base of the trunk, before sitting right next to her, placing both her feet in my lap to massage. She protests for a moment about being out in public before I manage to emit a few alternating sighs of relief and giggles with my magic fingers.

"Okay, okay!" she giggled as she squirmed from my light tickling. "Just a few minutes!"

We sat there for awhile, enjoying the soft summer breeze as it swayed the branches of our tree back and forth. I watched a few leaves float in the wind, as well as flowers that were planted nearby dancing along with them. Watching all of this has made me realize that this is probably the first moment alone that we've both had in peace since being discharged from the hospital. We've both been moving at a frantically consistent pace in order to prepare for the impending additions to our group. Cleaning, dusting, painting, building...with the amount of work that's gone into moving Amy in and preparing the nursery, you'd think we were building our own little village.

Thankfully, we've had help, as all our friends contributed in this feat. Cream and Vanilla got the Chaotix to help us with the handiwork of painting, wallpaper, and aesthetics while Tails helped in the construction of the crib and a few other pieces of furniture that were gifted from the baby shower. Knuckles also aided a little in some strongman work, lifting and moving the odd bits of Amy's old furniture in from storage after finding out he indirectly had a hand in her eviction.

As for me, I had the task of keeping Amy busy each day while this little project was going down. Wasn't any easy feat either, as Vanilla had warned me Amy would have a strong urge for nesting this far along. And boy, she _wasn't_ kidding. Ever since she's moved in, her neat freak radar has been off the charts. Cleaning this, scrubbing that. Even dusting the cleaning supplies!

The only thing to curtail the cleaning seems to be shopping for baby supplies, and that hasn't been easy either. Amy would be what you call a marathon shopper. It's not fun, as I've had to be the voice of reason towards potential purchases which I knew we already had covered thanks to our friends.

Despite all this, Cream still had it in her head to make it an epic surprise. Though after all that had happened, I wasn't sure it would be a good idea. However, I'm glad I let the kid do it the way she wanted to, as the expression on Amy's face was priceless. She was speechless, and absolutely moved to tears at our friends' compassionate gesture.

She even managed to pull off a repeat of the aforementioned expression with today's rescheduled surprise baby shower.

"You really enjoyed yourself today, eh?" I said as I gave one of her tender feet a squeeze.

"Mostly," she winced, trying to hold back another frown. "Until you guys got a little stupid..."

I let out a nervous chuckle, all too familiar with what she was referring too. "You can totally blame Shads for that drama." I'm quick to point out. "But maybe you should have taken it a bit easier on him, after all it a joke..."

I shut up when she started glaring daggers at me, rubbing her tired feet in silence.

_ But it was kinda funny..._

_ The party was going on full blast. It was small, but with our group of friends, it was lively. I'd have never known it was a baby shower if it weren't for the mini versions of regular food featured in the eats. Mini burgers and chili dogs. Mini sandwiches. Even mini ice cream cones and cupcakes. And even after all the time and effort that they had put into making our nursery as cozy as could be, or gifts that they might have bought originally, they still had enough heart to gift us again, with smaller, sentimental gifts that seemed to make Amy cry a new set of tears with each opening. _

_ I can't remember all of them, but the ones I do remember were funny. Tails gifted us with a mini walker/bounce machine that looked like a miniature version of the Tornado to go with the stroller combo he already built. The Chaotix gave us one of their business cards, with Detective Agency crossed out to say "Free Babysitting". Knuckles even gave a little something – an Echidna Clan dream catcher mobile to hang over the crib to ward off bad dreams._

_ Rouge had a previous commitment, so Shadow was on hand briefly to present her gift, which were two pairs of boutique baby booties. Then his present – a croqueted baby blanket with fancy embroidery that he made himself. _

_ "You really made this?" I remember Amy asking in awe. She was totally impressed by the amount of detail that was featured throughout. _

_ I remember the glare he gave to all us guys daring to crack a smile as he stated that it was one of a few skills he had learned from Maria back on the ARK, before mentioning that he also had something for me, which he dully handed in a unceremonious brown bag._

_ "Open it up," he said, smirking. "Rouge says it's from the both of us."_

_ Shrugging, I ripped it open, before cocking an eyebrow back at him and trying to hide the package from everyone's sight behind my back._

_ "What is it?," asked Tails, who took a quick peak before going into a chuckle fit._

_ "Oh man, this has to be good," said Knuckles, as he tried to take the bag from my reach, only to be met with empty hands._

_ "NO!" I shout, jumping back. I give an awkward smile as I try to flick the bag into the nearest garbage can, and miss, with the contents falling out of the now destroyed bag. I try and rush over to pick it up, but it's already too late; Amy's gone and picked up my unwanted gift._

_ "C-condoms?" Amy stuttered out in surprise. I nervously side step a few feet away from her as her normally rosy complexion suddenly became a few hues brighter, with the others save for Shadow following my lead. _

_ "Yes." Shadow said nonchalantly. "The irony of his gift is obviously not lost on hi-"_

_ "PIKO!"_

_ "You're an absolute ass!" she squealed, hammering him square in the face. Knocked out cold, he would have hit the table behind him if I hadn't swooped in for a save at the last second..._

"C'mon," I say, snapping out of the recollection. "You have to admit, it was funny. Even with Shadow to have gone along with it like he did."

"Speak for yourself," she quipped. "He couldn't look me straight in the face when he came to or apologized, so he knew it was in bad taste. And don't even get me started on Rouge. She's the last person on earth who should be making a frigging joke like that. She couldn't even be bothered to show up for a few like Shadow."

"Maybe because she's part of the investigation concerning what happened last month?" I point out. "Knuckles did mention that both she and Shadow had been working round the clock lately."

"That's not it," she disagreed. "I know Shadow well enough to know that both he and Rouge generally work the same hours while on assignment. Before I clocked him, I think he said she wasn't coming because of an annual diagnostics test she had coming up."

"Ms. Holmes. I do believe the game is afoot." I chuckled as I tickle some sense into her. "Someone's being really nosy today. Why the sudden interest in her whereabouts?"

"I can't explain it, but I have this weird feeling," she said softly. "Something's up with her...and I'm pretty sure Shadow might know something about it too, as usual..."

"No!" I protested. "Whatever it is, you and I are sitting this out. You do remember what happened the last time we got sucked into their business, right? Hospitalization? Eviction? Public property damage?

Drama, drama, and more drama with another helping of drama. We have enough to worry about as it is..."

"Besides," I continue, as I help her to her feet. "It's getting dark. Shall we continue on?"

"Sure," she says, throwing me a soft smile. "Besides, I can't wait to get home. I wonder if we have another parcel bag of mail waiting..."

_ (Amy's P.O.V.)_

_ I must be getting old. Who would have ever thought I looked forward to reading mail? _It's become somewhat of a hobby for us since I've moved in, though it initially wasn't as pleasant. With all the traveling he does, his place was littered with several bags of unopened letters, including a stockpile in one of the rooms that would become the nursery. What were in those bags must have been years worth of letters addressed to him from fans who were like me once upon a time, and he told me that he had merely given up on reading them as he was almost always never around.

I was initially more concerned with the potential fire hazard that he was living in, so he wasted no time in borrowing an industrial paper shredder from Tails. He had no problem parting with it, as he pointed out that much of what he read in the past bordered on being weird or hate mail, especially given the incident – the "safe" ones as deemed by the police.

We went to work shredding, but with the constant stopping/overheating from placing letters into the machine with sealed envelopes, we soon had to start opening things to reduce stress. He was not exaggerating when he warned me about the content; some of the most hateful, vile things that I've ever had the misfortune of reading were captured on pen and paper within their seemingly innocent envelopes. Things which I do not to repeat because it breaks my heart to think about them.

It was so bad that it even started a fight between us. He got mad that I was upsetting myself, despite his warnings of their content. But how can I ignore what feels like a sea of hate? These letters were a showcase of the capacity for cynicism and hate that people can have in their hearts...and in a small sense, a window into the hurt he's been feeling over the life he could not save.

"Stop reading!," he finally snapped, after I had read one particularly crude letter. "Why do you want to do this to yourself?"

"Because I know that every single one I've read is dead wrong," I said quietly. "And I want to get a sense of what you've been going through this whole time..."

"I don't want to think about, talk, or read about it..." he countered. "Therapy's already taking care of that."

"What therapy?" I ask sarcastically. "We've been to a few sessions and all you do is run the psychologist in circles. It won't you do any good if you don't at least try..."

"The fuck I'm not trying!" he yelled back.

I jumped a little in fright as he normally doesn't curse at me, so he readjusted his tone. "...I'm sorry. Let's just forget this, okay?

But I wasn't having it. "Oh, fuck off." I cursed back, getting up to stretch my sore legs before walking away from him. I kick one of the parcel bags to vent, without much care as it was probably more horrid reading material. The force was enough to tip it over, and as the contents spill out, I notice something among the letters – a big manilla envelope that was stuffed to capacity. I reached for it when Sonic saw it out of the corner of his eye and tackled me.

"SHIT!" he shouted as we both fell into a pile of shredded mail. Little slivers of shredded confetti flew every which direction and that, falling down like quiet snow. I push him off me, and he mumbles something about it being a suspicious package that might have been missed.

"Do you have a death wish?" he shouted while taking possession of the package. "This could be a package that blows us all into the Sky High Zone!"

Snatching it back, I point out that him shaking it around proved it wasn't volatile, and proceed to rip it open to reveal the contents – a small handwritten letter, with a very soft, blue wool blanket. We both stare at it for awhile, as it had honestly been the nicest thing that we've seen so far in the mist of this mess before I read the note. It read as follows:

_ "Dear Mr. Sonic,_

_ I know you probably wouldn't remember me, but I remember you. You saved my life! _

_ I have always recounted the tale of how you saved my life to others, and I think it's something I've repeated several times over in the wake of that tragedy at South Island. Everyone makes mistakes, and we all have our bad days. I have no doubt that every single person saying otherwise would be singing a different tune the moment you save them. _

_ But I do not want to dwell on the unpleasant. I wish to congratulate you and Ms. Rose on both finding love and starting a family. The both of you are strong examples of good people, and what we need more of in the world. As a parent myself, your stories are ones that I will tell my children as a means of inspiring them to becoming strong, kind adults one day. I know that you must also be nervous, and a little anxious, but I know you'll both raise this baby with the love and concern that you have for each other, as well as the rest of the world._

_ That said, I've enclosed a gift for you as a small token of my appreciation. A baby blanket that I knitted for my first born son. He has had it since the day we brought him home from the hospital, and it's never left his side without a fuss. But when he heard that you were expecting, he wanted you both to have it. He hopes that it will keep your baby as safe and warm as he says it's made him._

_ We both really hope you enjoy it, and that you both have a healthy and happy baby._

_ Eternally Grateful,_

_ A Friend_

And with that one letter, we started finding more that shared the same sentiment. The vile, hateful ones soon became fewer and far in between, as if out of fear of being infected with kindness. Drowned out and replaced by ones of encouragement, congratulations, and hope. People saying thank you for saving them or the world in general. Small gifts for the baby, as well as lots of advice for dealing for things that will lie ahead in our role as new parents.

It's all been such a turn around that we're still overwhelmed. We haven't wanted to shred much mail since then. Did not want to destroy words that were so heartfelt and warm. I've actually framed that first kind letter, placing it in the nursery. I plan on reading it out loud to our children until they're able to read themselves.

We've also been sending replies back to people. At least, those with return addresses. Not anything too fancy, but just a simple thank you. I know that we definitely won't be able to keep this up, as we've been receiving between four to five parcel bags each day. It's not much, but I...we both want to give say thank you to all those who are standing by us...

...

As we continue our stroll, I rest my head on his shoulder as he holds me close. I can tell he's a little bit anxious as he increases our pace to a steady, but swifter rate than we were previously going.

"I take it you want to read some more mail as well?" I say as I notice the change in pace. He nonchalantly whistles, looking the other way in a feeble attempt at hiding his flushed face, which is all I need to know.

"Ha." I teased.

It's not much longer before we've reached out destination, and we're just in time as the gate is due to close in a few minutes. The gatekeeper recognized and greeted us, saying he'll give us a little more time for today.

"I can't believe it's been a year already," I said softly. "Time flies..."

"Yeah.." Sonic said, trailing off.

We walked through what seemed like a garden of various markers. Some big and towering, while others were smaller. Others faded and worn from sitting through the various changes of the seasons, barely legible, while others still seemed to be freshly laid.

It would be easy to get lost and sucked up in such a still place, but we've been here enough to know the way by heart. It's not long before we finally reach our destination – a small, marble marker with a few newly placed flowers over it. Sonic helped me down to kneel before doing the same. We've both tried to say a few things in the past whenever we were here, but the words either never came, or they never sounded right. Forcing it never worked, so we've both let words flow as they come. Sonic's always had trouble saying anything, but he surprised me by speaking first.

"Hey," he said softly. "Just wanted to check up on you today. It's been awhile, almost a year. I hope you're doing well. I hope you're doing all the things kids do whenever they go where you are right now. Like maybe eating all the ice cream you ever wanted for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Chuckling nervously, he continued: "I like to think of what you would have been doing this time of year. It'd probably be the end of summer, and you'd be getting ready to go to school and make new friends. Be that kid that everyone likes and wants to be best friends with. Learn new things each day. Take up hobbies. Just be a kid in general.

I like to think that you'd be going on with your life after I met you. That you weren't hurt too bad and you'd forgive me. But we both know you can't.

So I've had this hanging over me for the past year. I swore I wouldn't rest until I avenged you when given the opportunity, and I believe I did a few weeks back. But the things that I did, and the lengths that I went to...were dark. Dark enough to make me stop and think – is this what you would have wanted? Is this what I want?

Is this who I am?

It's not who I am to go to such extremes. It totally goes against my creed and everything I stand for and believe. But I thought it was worth it to make an exception this one time, for you. It doesn't feel good, but I'll have to learn to live with it. Even though I crossed that line, I still didn't feel any better about what happened to you. It won't ever bring you back, but I like to hope it could. I like to think that you're giving him bloody hell for it.

I usually don't look back on things, but I haven't been able to since this happened. I've only dwelt on the negative and what could have been."

Ever so gently, he placed the bouquet down on the grass, and patted the tiny tombstone that laid before us.

"For you kid." he said as he tears flowed freely. "I know it's not much, but I 'm sorry. You can't hear me, but it makes me feel better to think that you can. And while I know that you can't forgive me...I have to forgive me."

I embraced him soon after, pulling him into a hug that seemed different from others I'd given. It felt as if the weight of guilt had finally been lifted off his shoulders after all this time. Everything that had happened was behind us, with the future ahead being a bright and welcoming one.

Before we leave, I say a few words to the tiny little grave myself. One simple, little thing.

_ "Thank you for making my Sonic into a better person."_

* * *

_ That's it for this chapter folks. We really hope that you enjoyed it. I hope it had a little bit of everything that you've all come to enjoy in this fan fic, from comedy to plenty of heartfelt moments to keep you wanting the next chapter. I also hoped this was a satisfactory conclusion to the initial subplot of Sonic's overall grief/guilt concerning the one he could not save. I tried to show that he wasn't 100% over it, as shown by the lack of overall progress in therapy. But he is finally able to forgive himself, which is a start._

_ That said, the next chapter, if continued, will showcase the birth and delivery of the twins. Despite all their preparation, Sonic and Amy will not be prepared for what happens next, and it will be a true test of heart for the both of them. _

_ Thank you for reading our work, and as always, please read and review._


	21. Not According to Plan

_**Author's Note:**__** Well folks, here we are. Hold on to your seats, this might get messy.**_

* * *

_** (Amy's P.O.V.)**_

"Night, hun." I said to Sonic as I kissed him on the cheek. He's half awake, half watching a DVD we rented earlier today. "Sure you won't come to bed with me?"

He yawned as he returned my kiss, stretching his arms out in a feeble effort to stay awake and stay focused on the DVD. "Maybe after I finish this movie." he yawned again. "Dying to see how it ends."

"Is that so?" I asked. "You know there's a pretty gruesome alien birth scene coming up soon, right? Doubt you can sit through that given how green you turned during that one tape we had to watch earlier..."

He adverted his eyes away from the screen, whistling away the awkwardness of being called out before side glancing at me. I rolled my eyes, before kissing him again and making my way to our bedroom, bidding him good night once more, while counting down.

_Three. Two. One._

I smirked as my ears are rewarded with a sharp yelp coming from his direction, with a few unintelligible curses mixed in. Serves him right; if he can't handle fake blood and placenta, what makes him think he'll be able to handle it in two days time? Given all the shit that's gone down between bed rest, being abducted, and what not, our new OB/GYN has scheduled me for an induction/C-section. Which is definitely something I didn't agree with, and was speechless upon hearing it with Sonic last week. I'm not due for another three weeks!

Sara had warned me that it might be a possibility, but felt that it was best used as a last resort in the event of any complications. But I guess what I want doesn't matter, as the hospital this new doctors works in also had their own ideas about my delivery, from the very swanky room they want to keep us in to security detail and how we'll be leaving. The only thing that we've probably had a say in was how we're getting there, with Tails being on call 24/7 with the Tornado in the event of inclement weather.

It's just really frustrating; it seems everyone else is making the big decisions for me and I can't even get a word edge wise without being talked down to like some child. The nerve of them! I've seen and lived through more crazy situations in one day on the regular than they'll ever see in a lifetime. But no. Let's do it this way since it's the best way, and not the way you want it. I don't want an induction, and I definitely don't want a C-section if it isn't 100% necessary...

As I try to shift into a more comfortable position on the bed, a very loud clap of thunder startles me enough to lose balance and fall face first into my pillow. I moan despite the cushioning of the bed, as I've been feeling icky the last two days straight. Everything aches. Feet, head, arms. And now even my back, especially the lower region.

And that's just physically. Weather's been out of whack lately as well, given that Station Square is currently in the mist of hurricane season. The rain, wind, and flash flooding have managed to keep the both of us indoors for the most part. Not a small feat to keep Sonic indoors for anything, but given his hydrophobia, it's almost a given he wants to be no where near the mess going on outside.

And then, there's Sonic. While he's been great up to this point, I can't help but be irked by the little bits of immaturity over that video. He can handle Eggman, his entire army of robot junk, and sealed evil in a can, but not a little blood and placenta? He also didn't just turn green during that birth video – he upchucked a semi-whole chili dog with the works.

Vanilla insists that it's normal, as she had Cream's dad do something similar when she was born, both vomiting and fainting moments after she was born.

_"I know it's hard," she said a few days ago, "But you just have to give him time. Men process a baby differently from us. While you've probably felt like a mother for awhile, he probably hasn't really felt that connection until recently. _

_ Cream's father, bless his soul, told me that he was just all nerves until the very first time he got to hold her. He still had his moments, but after that, he was okay._

_ Just have faith in him."_

"I do have faith in him," I thought to myself. I just don't have faith in how _I'll_ handle this. I might have prepped for this for awhile, but I know that labor is probably going to be the worst pain I've ever experienced. Sara tried to give me the professional and technical side of it when she was still my doctor, saying that it differs for each mother, as well any any pain management medication I might receive. Her personal experience with Aria's birth seems a little too perfect compared to Vanilla's, who was too far gone in labor to receive any pain relief. They also differed in length, as Sara's had been about eight hours while Vanilla's had been three or four.

There's also stress, as even the slightest sneeze or frown from me has resulted in him going to pieces, trying to run us to the hospital in a panic. He's done it at least three times in the past week, with each time being deemed a false alarm. He even forgot me the last time, calling me from the hospital after having ran all the way there in record time!

_If he's this jittery and squeamish, how is he supposed to be the pillar of support I'll need to get through this? _

Another clap of thunder, and I flinched again, which seems to have struck a nerve in my aching lower back. The discomfort has been coming and going all day, and I've chosen not to tell Sonic for fear of another hurried overreaction. It started out dull at first, but it's gradually become what I think is a mix of a pinched nerve and an upset stomach, only to go away and start up later...

As I close my eyes to try and lull myself into slumber, I feel the pain gradually getting worse and more frequent, with lying on my side doing nothing to alleviate it. I fidgeted some more as it worsens, before feeling something wet underneath the sheets. _Oh great. I must have wet myself._

Carefully, I sat up, and turned on the light by the bed dresser before lifting up the sheets to get ready to change them. It's still leaking out of me, but it doesn't feel like or smell like...

Oh _shit_. Shit. SHIT.

I think my water just broke.

I try to get out of bed, but that back pain has returned again, worse than before. I flinch back in pain just as a very bright flash of lightning struck, with the lights in the apartment going out with it. I hear Sonic jump with a start in the next room, obviously having woken up from the living room and movie dimming suddenly.

As another ache, or contraction hits, I barely managed to scream his name between gritted teeth.

_SONIC!_

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

I jumped with a start, running into our bedroom to comfort Amy as the roar of thunder can be heard throughout the apartment. Just barely stumbling over something in the dark, I can barely make out anything as the power has just gone out. A swerve here, twist there, and I'm able to reach her side a few seconds later at the bed.

"It's alright, just the power," I said as I hold her close, before jumping a bit at the dampness of our sheets. "Whoa. Don't tell me you're scared of thunder like Tails was when he was younger?"

She clung to me instantly, letting out a muffled groan that gradually got louder. "...not funny," she gasped, as tears fell. Even though I'm holding her as tight as can be, she's trembling like crazy, crying out as she holds her swollen abdomen. In the grainy light of another flash of lightning, I'm able to make out her face, and the fear etched into her features is enough to let me know what's happening.

_Shit._ Oh shit. This is it. The big one. The real deal.

I quickly scooped her up in my arms and made a bolt for the door, bumping into and kicking a few things out of the way. Headed for the elevator to go down, but opt against it as the power is out in the whole building, with only emergency lights illuminating the way. Rushed down several flights of stairs before making it to the exit, and nearly jumped out before coming right back in. The rain outside is horrible, with heavy winds and force making it difficult to see anything nearby.

It's also so forceful that it throws the both of us back into the corridor, and I just barely skidded to a halt before we each fell back onto the floor. I winched as I caught Amy at the last second to cushion her fall, but also because I was greeted with more dampness. We both jump up when we realize that it's flooding in the corridor, with the water level easily being up to our calves.

_Not good. Not fucking good at all. I can do dry land, deserts, and even volcanoes with my eyes closed and a hand tied behind my back. But water? Not so much. The worst thing I ever want to run through is a hurricane/tropical storm. I watched in horror of mother nature through the glass door exit, as trees are being violently swayed back and forth by the wind. Fanning the waves of a newly formed river that seems to be creeping its way into our building underneath the gap between the door and linoleum. _

Amy's gotten a little louder behind me, trying to crawl up the first flight of stairs to get away from the rising water. Picking her up again, I rushed back up to our apartment and enter, before tripping over what felt like a table. She's fallen out of my grasp and screaming, just as another flash of lightning illuminates the room just enough for me to see her and maneuver us to the couch for a safe landing. As thunder strikes soon after, I also feel a familiar, yet unwanted "twitch".

I frowned as I slowly try to get up, but winched back in pain as that sound was enough to confirm it. Something I've felt any time I've overexerted myself in a short period of time without a good stretch. I've pulled a muscle in one of my legs. Can probably still run on it, but if I pushed it now, it'll only be ten times worse later. The flooding outside doesn't help either; if I tried to hydroplane it out of here in that mess, the speed and momentum I'll need to keep afloat might overextend it. And if I start to sink...I can't swim. Not good for any of us in this situation right now...

I looked over to Amy, who has taken to hugging a couch pillow for comfort. Shaking, crying, and obviously scared out of her wits considering what her body's getting ready to do. Despite the injury and better reason, I decide I'll make another try to get us both out, before she stops me, telling me we need to stay put.

"...we're sitting ducks," she moaned. "Just call Tails, and emergency services. There's no way I'm letting you try again and-NNGH!

...drown out in that weather outside..."

"I can get us there faster than they each could," I said. "Even if we prepped with Tails for a scenario like this, it's still pretty dicey to be high in the sky with thunder and lightning being so close."

"No...time," she moaned again. "I...nngh...they're not going to wait to make it to the hospital..."

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

The pain has gotten much worse with no reprieve, meaning the contractions have gotten closer together. Besides the now awful back pain, I'm cramping like crazy and it's starting to feel as if I'm burning, down _there_. I barely managed to mumble instructions to Sonic, who's half limping /dashing his way around to get things I'm asking for. A towel, as well as a dry nightgown to replace the currently soaked one I'm wearing. I also asked him to dial emergency services, while asking for my own cell phone to make a call of my own. A call to someone who I hope can help me through what has quickly become a very scary experience.

Dr. Sara Torinai.

She gave me her emergency contact number, and I feel that this is as good a time as any to make use of it. Given how busy she's been trying to restructure her practice in the wake of Eggman's attack, I can only hope she'll pick up..

It's ringing._ Please pick up..._

"...Hello?" came a voice on the other line. "This is Sara. Who is this?"

I instantly perked up the moment I hear her voice, before another surge of pain hits. "Hi..," I managed to get out, "..it's Amy Rose and I'm...nngh..."

"In labor?," she asked calmly. "Are you at the hospital, and have you called your new OB/GYN?"

"Never made it," I answered. "We're currently stranded in our apartment and...I don't think we'll be able to get there in time."

"How far apart are your contractions?"

"I don't know.." I said, trailing off in agony. "But they're awful and nonstop.."

"Hmm... Is Sonic with you?" she asked finally.

"Yes," I said, looking up to him. "He's kneeling beside me and looking worse for wear than me."

"Alright." she said softly. "Hand the phone to him. I'll need to talk him through this."

"Through what?," I asked nervously.

_"Through the delivery."_

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

Just got off the phone with emergency services, frowning. They're definitely a little overwhelmed – the power outage and flooding has caused several emergencies in the area that they're currently responding to. Given that water has started to rise in our area, they're looking to commandeer a boat in order to reach us. I also phoned Tails, who is coming, but pointed out that he hasn't been able to test the new boat mode on the Tornado properly, so he's moving with caution.

I inwardly chuckle, as it suddenly hits me what a fucked up sense of humor my kids already have. Couldn't wait for this storm to pass, or for the lights to go back on. Or even for the scheduled induction two days from now. They definitely take after me in terms of impatience.

I snap out of my thoughts when Amy hands me her cell phone to speak with Dr. Torinai. I kind of gave her a nervous glance as I bring it to my ear, considerably anxious given all the shit that's happened to her because of us. Despite how polite she's been to the both of us, I half expect her to hold a grudge, blowing my ear drum out with a slew of curses.

But I'm greeted with a calm, warm voice on the other end. "Hi, Sonic," she said softly. "I'm going to need your help right now. Quickly fill me in on what's been going on."

I proceed to explain the current situation as best I can, including the details about the power, weather, and my current handicap of a pulled leg muscle. She quickly tells me to get a flash light, pen, paper, watch, and various first aid materials from around the apartment. She also encouraged me to find and connect to Bluetooth so that I'm 100% hands free. Once that is done, I proceed to quickly follow her set up for a makeshift delivery room, snapping up the shower curtains from the bathroom and draping them over our bed, before gently placing a laboring Amy done onto it. I also snap up a few newspapers and towels from the linen closet.

"Okay," she said once I told her that I had everything on hand and in place, "I'm going to ask you to time the contractions, while also checking the birth canal."

I do so, using the stop watch function on my watch to gauge the gap between Amy's current contraction and the next, capping out at about two minutes apart.

"Two minutes?" Dr. Torinai whistled over the line. "They're coming quick. Ask Amy how long she's been having these pains."

I do so, only to instantly get upset the moment she says it's been happening all day.

"You've been feeling like this all day and you didn't once try and tell me?" I snapped. "We could have avoided all this!"

"I just thought it was a little back pain, you prick!" she yelled back. "How was I supposed to know that this was the real deal!"

The back and forth would have gone on some more if Dr. Torinai hadn't yelled at me to stop. "Knock it off!," she yelled into the other end. "This isn't the time to be arguing with her as she's in a lot of pain right now. Starting an argument or fight now is just asking for more unnecessary stress in this situation.

What's done is done, but I need you to be the straight man here and stay calm. Getting angry isn't going to help either of you through this."

I quieted down and actually blush as I proceed to the next part of the direction, as I have to lift up and take a look down at Amy's lady parts with a flash light.

"Are you sure you want me doing this?" I asked Dr. Torinai nervously. "I think Amy's...er, you know, is trying to blow a bubble."

"Sonic!," Amy yelled at me. "Just...nngghh!"

"Yes," she answered back, ignoring Amy's outburst. "You're the only person who can do this right now. If you're seeing that, it means that one of the babies is crowning and it's time to push. "

"B-but..," I stuttered.

"You can do this," she said. "I know this seems scary, but Amy needs you to, and your babies...they need you.

I'll coach you through it, but you'll also need to relay back to me anything and everything going on. Got it?"

"Okay," I gulped. "What's next?"

"Check the birth canal again." she said. "And ask Amy to push very, very gently.

I did so, just as Amy wanted me to move her up into a squatting position on the bed, with the doctor saying it's okay to let her. I held onto her for balance with one arm while trying to feel for the baby's head underneath with the other, feeling it move into place as Amy continued to push. She's whimpering into my chest in agony, moaning about how much this burns, and all I can do is nuzzle her head back for comfort.

_I can't even begin to imagine what's she's going through right now, but she's a definite trooper. She's been through so much already with this pregnancy, and here she is toughing it out in the middle of a full out crisis. All because she didn't want to worry me earlier..._

_ I should have been able to pick up on this. My job is to keep her safe. It isn't as if I've never seen her hurt before during one of our many adventures in the past. But she managed to keep a stiff upper lip until now. This is something I might not ever be able to change about her. Her selflessness towards me. Always concerned about my well being at the risk of her own. I would be flattered if not outright terrified for the implications I've seen it take over the past year. She was fully willing to carry on this pregnancy without me here, by her side. To go it alone because she thought I was better off. _

_ But she's not alone. I don't want her to be scared. I don't want her to suffer. And I'm not going to leave her. Not now. Not ever._

"Amy," I whispered as I stroke back her sweaty bangs, "You're doing great. I..I can feel the head coming down. Just a little more..."

_It's finally starting to set in now. In a few more moments, I'm going to be a father. Responsible for well being and care of two new beings. I'm still a little scared, but I'm more than excited now. I'll get to watch them grow and teach them new things each day. And they'll both be looking up to the both of us for guidance..._

I fell forward as my hand suddenly felt a shift of weight, and look down, just as a flash of lightning strikes nearby. As the accompanying thunder dies down, that's when we both hear it for the first time. A sharp, high pitched cry, that seemed to momentarily calm the storm outside, and instantly wells up a rising warmth in my heart.

"...Sonic..," cried Amy. "..thank you."

"No problem," I say to her as I laid her back down while cradling the baby.

"Baby number one?" Dr. Torinai interrupted. "Congrats to the both of you. What's the time?"

I check my watch, and clock it in at about 11:57 pm. for the time of birth.

"Gender?"

"It's.." I said as I shine a flashlight into the mewing bundle of wet fur in my arms, "a girl. Yeah... a girl." Just enough to make out the gender difference, but not the fur color, as it seems it might be a very soft hue of light blue.

Following Dr. Torinai's directions, I quickly wiped away the mucus aftermath from her mouth and nose, before blotting her off with a towel and wrapping her in it. I carefully laid her on Amy's stomach, and watch with a smile as the latter quickly takes to her new role as mother, pulling her up to nurse.

"We're still not out of the woods yet," Dr. Torinai reminded the both of us. "First baby isn't fully delivered until the placenta comes out. Then baby number two is going to be the same process all over again."

"What if I try and pull it out?" I asked suddenly, while grabbing the umbilical cord still connecting daughter to mother.

"Don't pull it!," she practically screamed at me. "She might be breathing on her own but it's still giving her oxygen and blood. Don't pull, yank, or mess with it until it stops pulsing since she could easily bleed out."

I don't have to wait long for it, as a sudden gush of fluids presents the placenta. I carefully try and gather it up, placing it in one of the sandwich bags that I have amongst the emergency supplies. I tucked the flashlight underneath my chin so my hands are free, while trying to clamp off the umbilical cord with a snack bag clip. Once I get it as close to my new daughter's chest, I close it, while sterlizing a pair of scissors with rubbing alcohol. After a moment, I carefully cut off the cord, and clamp down again, using alcohol to clean up the mess.

I also take the baby from Amy, and lie her by her side, as the contractions for baby number two have started up. I shine the flashlight down and look, seeing yet another bubble forming down below. I shine the light back up to check on Amy, who's sweaty and tired from the delivery of the first.

"Sonic," she cried. "I don't think I can...nngghh..."

"You can do this!," I corrected her. "You're doing great, and you're almost done. Just one more.."

Another crack of thunder, and I think I almost hear sirens in the very far distance.

"I think help is almost here," I say to both Amy and the doctor.

"That's good," she said, while scribbling something on the other side of the line, "But right now, it's time to push again. They'll take over when they get here, but you need to focus on this moment."

"Okay, Ames," I said while lifting up her nightgown once again. "You can do this. Push..."

_ (Amy's P.O.V.) _

_ It burns. Oh sweet Chaos, it burns._ My throat has become coarse from all the screaming, and my tongue feels like sandpaper. My head is absolutely throbbing from all the pain and flashes of thunder and lightning. And my torso...oh sweet Chaos. It hurts so bad.

I'm so tired. I don't think I can go on. I don't think I can do this, despite the fact that I'm overjoyed beyond relief to see my newborn daughter beside me. The pain is too unrelenting, and I can't think straight. I almost feel like giving up.

But a voice is pushing me to keep it up and fight. His voice. He's been the brave one throughout this whole ordeal, and more involved with it than I ever imagined him being.

"You can do this!," Sonic said as I give another weak push. "You almost have the head out. Keep it up!"

Taking a deep breath, I pushed as hard as I can, coaxed on further by Sonic's surprisingly warm coaching. Despite wanting to not startle my daughter, I can't help but scream, as the burning sensation is all too much for me to bare as I push on through.

I'm rewarded for my effort with the sound of a second, softer, but beautiful cry. Looked down to see Sonic wiping down and welcoming our second child into the world, who was kicking and screaming as if glad to be out.

I laid back down on our bed, content, as Sonic relays the stats to Sara over Bluetooth. Baby number two is a boy, and born at about 12:19 am. I also cried as Sonic gently placed him on my chest to nurse, as a whole new flood of feelings over take me. Joy. Sorrow. Anxiety. It's all a wish wash mixture of things that I'm feeling all at once as I watch both children seek me out for warmth.

_ My babies. Love at first sight, again. The first time was with Sonic, and if there was anyone else that I could love just as much as him, it's them. I never knew my heart had so much room..._

I smile as I hold both children close, while giving a weak smile to their father, who's beaming back at me in pride, while trying to stay awake.

_ I can't help but feel so sleepy..._

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

As I watched Amy and our new kids with a sense of pride and respect for her, I smile.

"You're a trooper," I said as I kissed her forehead. "You did it."

"..Hmmm.." she mumbled, half awake. "...y-You...did...great too..."

I gave her another smile, but inwardly recoil at the lack of warmth she had when I kissed her. I take the flashlight and lower the light to her face, and notice that her normally rosy pink skin has gone a shade lighter, as if the color was shrinking out from in her. Her eyes are not far off in that transition, as they've also seem lighter as well.

Feigning having to go get another item for the emergency supplies, I relay Amy's outward appearance to Dr. Torinai, as I've seen it enough to know something's wrong.

_ And it is._ My heart sinks when Dr. Torinai informs me she might be in the beginning stages of shock.

"This isn't good. She might have lost too much blood during delivery." Dr. Torinai explained. "How far is the ambulance from you? You said you thought they were in the distance based on the sirens?"

I listened for them again, only to hear the sirens coming closer with red and blue lights flashing by outside. They're here.

"Okay," Dr. Torinai said. "Keep your front door open and get back to Amy."

I did so, and carefully start to follow directions as they're handed out to me. I elevated her legs, and covered her up as best I could with clean towels. I also wet one of them with fresh water to damper her lips, while softly talking to her as a means to keep her awake and alert.

"You did it," I said to her softly, wiping sweat away from her brow. "Just hold on a little bit longer..."

She gives me what looks like a weak, but warm smile, nuzzling my hand. "..y..yea..," she rasped.

"C'mon, Ames," I say, as I gently tapped her cheeks with my hands. "You need to keep your eyes open. Don't fall asleep.."

"..but..," she yawned, barely responding to my touch, "..tired..."

I looked over to our children, who have cuddled up against each other for warmth. Fear creeps in again. Not the fear of failure or the fear of commitment, but a fear of loss. For not only them, but for me as well.

Just then, the paramedics arrived, and quickly got to work. One administered CPR to Amy, while the other checked over the children and wrapped them up in separate, aluminum foil blankets.

I shuddered when I heard them say her pulse was faint. As they loaded Amy onto a stretcher, I insisted on holding both my children as we left the apartment and entered the ambulance sanctioned boat.

As we made our way to the hospital, I looked down to the two sleepy children in my arms, to avoid the sight that was potentially unfolding with their mother. An IV was being administered, and while some color had returned to her features her pulse was still weak. Tonight had possibly brought me the best joy and worst pain, all at once..

_ Hold on, Ames. Please, just hold on a little longer..._

* * *

_ And that's it folks. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really, really hope it didn't disappoint, as I did a lot of research for this. I also hope the scenario wasn't far fetched. Power outage, severe storm, and hydrophobia all seem to go together pretty well. _

_ I also like to chalk up Amy writing off the first stage of labor as annoying back aches to being an inexperienced new mother. It happens in real life. Some women don't even know they were pregnant until they show up at the hospital and told to push. Then leave with a new baby._

_ That said, next chapter continues at the hospital. Sonic ponders the possibility of having to go it alone as a single parent, while formal introductions of the two latest additions to the group are made. _

_ As always, thank you for your thoughts and comments, and please read and review!_


	22. You Plus Me Equals Us

_**Author's Note:**__Things have really come along since we've resumed updates, yes? And it's a good thing as we now have two little bundles of joy to properly introduce you all to. _

_ And unfortunately, some serious developments as well. Keep reading to find out._

* * *

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_ "Almost there, and...done. Yeah. I think that's it. Did I do it right?" I asked anxiously. My first diaper change. _

"One diaper on the first try. Impressive." said the nurse who was supervising. "I don't see many first time dads who have a handle on this so quickly. You're doing just fine. I think you can handle swaddling at this rate."

"I really hope so...," I said back, smiling softly at the freshly changed baby girl in my arms. She's drifting into another nap, and it just amazes me that she can be so sleepy given the circumstances. The storm that she and her brother entered the world in is still raging on outside. Thunder, lightning, and flash flooding chaos in contrast to her sleeping and eating.

A window nearby has a blurred view of Station Square due to the sheer force of the storm, and while I stare out into the drenched backdrop, I find myself uninterested by the sight before me with so much on my mind. So much has changed in not even the course of a day, and it's hitting me like an out of control freight train. It's so overwhelming that I can't bring myself to say it out loud, but repeated over and over in my head since. I'm a _father._

I don't think it's fully registered, but now that they're here...now that I've seen, held, and fed them...it's really clicked. And it's clicked enough to scare me. More so given the fact that I've barely heard word on Amy's condition; the last I saw was as she was being brought into the ER, with "with blood loss" and "shock" being said several times over.

That was hours ago, and I'd like to think that the static silence on the staff's end is a good thing. That somewhere in the hospital, she's still fighting, and the doctors are doing everything they possibly can to help her. Or better yet, that this is one of my nightmares playing out.

But with each second that passes, the more I worry that the only other person that matters right now might be gone. The one person who wanted this the most, and she might have only known them for moments before slipping away...

Oh, Chaos. I don't think I was prepared for this. Things can't be this way. Not knowing how she's doing is driving me crazy, but I have to try and stay positive, right? But I'm still scared all the same, especially as we both had lost our parents early on. Amy had practically grown up in an orphanage, while I barely remember anything about mine. We each practically raised ourselves with only the slightest clue about parenting from Vanilla's instruction.

But even without first hand experience, at least we could say we were figuring it out together...

I looked down again to see my girl still sound asleep, nuzzling against my chest for warmth. She's been the one constant since this ordeal, as her brother was whisked away not too long ago for observation. Respiratory distress is what the doctors called it, and he's been in the NICU ever since. Not too serious from what the doctor on call said, but he's being kept there just to be on the safe side.

Knowing where his mother is right now, and where he is this moment, does this make me a failure? They're both fighting to survive right now because I wasn't quick or strong enough to help.

_There I go again. Blaming myself for circumstances out of my control. Too many people relying on me right now for me to take these unfortunate events to heart. I bet that kid would be super bummed to see me taking this out on myself again when I need to stay focused on the now. So would Amy, as well as our new son and daughter. Gotta stay strong.._

...

Wake up to the sound of a soft cry and stirring within my arms. I yawn, surprised that I had fallen asleep, before trying to open my eyes. I do so slowly as the light is bright enough to be bothersome, but once I do it's well worth it. The storm is calm, or at least over, with some clouds still hovering outside. But the sun in breaking through it, and it looks like it might actually be a nice day out.

I forget about it when I hear that cry again, and look down to see my daughter staring up at me with soft green eyes. _My eyes_. All those baby books Amy made me read said that eye color can change within the first year. But I know they're mine. She's also smiling, or at least, what I figure is one. The nurses told me that was a common queue for gas in newborns, but she's smiling, and she has _her_ smile. No two ways about it.

It's almost unreal. It's probably way too early to tell, but I can see aspects of the both of us in her and her brother. I don't quite know how it all came together, but somehow, we managed to make two little beings that already seem to favor the best aspects of us.

Then I realize that I did the bonehead thing of falling asleep with a barely one-day-old baby in my arms. I jumped with a start out of the seated position in the nursery recliner, before falling back with a yelp with the reminder of my pulled leg muscle. I mutter to myself for not realizing I had fallen asleep, as I could have dropped or crushed my daughter if I was in a deep enough slumber.

A nurse comes running in due to the noise I'm making. I somewhat snap at her, asking why my daughter wasn't taken from me if I had fallen asleep.

"We tried," she said softly, "But you just wouldn't let go, and she would start to cry the moment we tried, so we left it be. We did check in from time to time to make sure things were alright though."

I swiftly apologize, but she nods it off, saying that she understands given the stress I'm going through, before updating me on my son's condition, which is merely a bout of nasal congestion.

"They're administering antibiotics to break up the congestion, so he should be fine enough for you to take home soon." said the nurse.

"That's good," I said, sighing with relief. Little guy gave me quite a secondary scare in the mist of worrying about his mot-oh snap – AMY.

"I'd hate to ask for more info, miss," I said anxiously, "but would you happen to have any updates on his mother?"

She shook her head, but stated that she'd make a call to the doctor in charge of her care, leaving the room for a few minutes, before coming back with him in tow. A short goat fellow with a sternness on his face that nearly drained the color out of me.

With a little effort, I stood up from the recliner with my daughter in hand to hear what it was he had to say, despite him waving for me to stay seated.

"You're injured, Mr...Needlemouse," he said as he double checked the admission charts. "I would be more at ease if you sat down."

"No." I said while continuing to stand. "I'd feel a lot better if I stood while hearing it. Just give it to me straight, doc. Is she going to be alright?"

"Well...," the doctor said, as his words slowly became a blur.

The room and everyone else save my daughter became a blur as I dropped to my knees, a sea of absolute emotions washing over and overwhelming me...

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

_ "No. Amy! Photographer, we need that shot redone ASAP! _

_ A bright flash of light blinded me, and I cover my face to adjust to the brightness. I'm gradually able to open my eyes, gasping at the sight before me. It appears as if I'm on some type of set for a photo shoot, and all eyes are on me. One person in particular is having a fit from his seat to the side – the director._

"Oh come ON, Amy!" he snapped at me. "If this was a blooper reel day, that previous take might have flown, but I need serious and smart from you."

"But...why?" was all I managed to muster. I looked down to see that I'm in a beautiful, white ensemble, with everyone else on set in the same. Flowing, wavy, and with sparkly sequins adorned throughout intermittently. The light reflecting off the sequins made it hard to see, but I could almost feel as if all eyes were fixed on me. _Weird_.

"I didn't ask for pouty!," yelled the director again, "I want the real you. Fierce. Loving. Beautiful. Why can't you give me that?"

"Why do I have to?," I finally asked. "Who said I signed up for this? I don't even remember wanting to do anything remotely like this, save one of those silly group portraits with my fam.."

I froze, as the memories of the thunderstorm came flooding back to me in fragments. The initial discomfort becoming nigh excruciating once I realized what was happening. Sonic being my rock. And those beautiful, angelic first cries...

"Where am I?," I asked, approaching the director. "But more importantly, where are my children?"

"Oh, sassy!," he quipped, instructing the photographer to get a few more shots. "And it's of little concern anyhow since they're not here."

"Wrong answer." I said, grabbing him by the collar. "I'm going to ask you one more time – where am I, and where is my family?"

The other white clothed folk near by backed away, murmuring amongst themselves in both awe and fear. But the director stayed as calm as could be despite my rough treatment, raising his arms slightly to disengage himself from my grasp.

"Tsk tsk, Amy." he admonished. "This isn't photogenic. You wouldn't want your children to have a scowling pic, yes? This is something that they'll see for as long as they live. This is something that many people will see as well. Basically for all eternity. It's not a good look..."

"Forget this," I yelled finally, pushing the arrogant prick on his ass. "Worst photography studio ever. I'll find my own way out."

But I soon find I can't, as the previously scared patrons soon see fit to block my way in every which direction in an enclosed circle. The louder I protest or try and push my way through, the closer they get, until I'm all but a foot step away from any one of them.

"Get away from me, you freaks!," I yelled at the top of my lungs. "If this is some weird cult, I want out!"

"But you're one of us..." trailed one of them, grabbing my shoulder.

I scream louder and louder as I feel them overwhelming me, until a light, yet strong breeze starts up, causing noise and commotion. I feel a lightness around me as I'm swiftly picked up and moved, with shouts and curses starting up that gradually get softer and mute.

My eyes are still closed until I finally come to a stop, with yet another bright light obstructing my view.

"Hey, you can open your eyes now."

"Sonic?"

"Um..yeah. Just open your eyes. Kinda freaking me out, looking blind and all."

I carefully open my eyes for the second time to see a refreshingly familiar, yet comforting sight. Blue quills standing erect and flowing in the wind, as I immediately run to hug their owner from behind. _Sonic_.

"I'm so happy to see you!," I sobbed into his back.

"I know." he said, squeezing my arms in return.

"What was all that back there? Who were those people? Who was that director guy? Were they in league with Eggman?" I asked, going a mile a minute.

"Photo shoot and no," he replied.

I disengage myself from hugging him, as his answers and overall demeanor have me uneasy once again. Taking a step back, I realize that he hasn't looked at me at all since he saved me from that freaky photography group.

"Turn around." I asked him after a few moments of thought.

"No." he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because..." he said back.

"Because is not an answer, Sonic." I said. "Because what? You bruised it in a fight with a Motobug? I've seen you looking worse for wear before. It's nothing."

"No." he said again.

"Fine!," I snapped back. "You can go have a stick up your ass for all I care. Just take me home. I want to see our kids."

"No." he said yet again.

"Not you too." I grumbled. "Why not? Is something wrong? Why the hell can't I see my own children?"

"Because..." he said again.

"Because WHAT?," I yelled.

"Because...," he trailed off. "..you forgot to say please."

I step back from him again, dumbfounded and newly annoyed, as I'd forgotten how stubbornly tricky he can be.

"Please..." I grumbled through gritted teeth. "And I shouldn't have to fucking beg."

"That's better." he said, before bringing me into a swift embrace within his arms.

He sped off, taking me all over Station Square. The 'scenic route' is what he called it, but all the scenery passing us by made me feel as if he was purposely prolonging arrival at the intended destination. When we passed what was his apartment building, I got justifiably angry, but he quieted me down by saying that our children would not be there.

We finally stopped once we reached a red and white building on the outskirts of town. Surrounded by a fence, other people were waiting outside of it, with more coming by the minute.

"First day," Sonic said, back still turned to me, pointing to the sign on the building. Little Angel Island School.

"Why would they be here?" I asked. "I just had them. Plus I think kids that young aren't supposed to be in day care. I wanted to care for them myself until then."

"Don't worry," he said, patting me on the back. "We're going to have plenty of time for that when we get back."

Just then, a bell sounded, and the doors of the building opened up to see several preschool aged children running out and towards the waiting adults. Joyous cheers of mommy and daddy were heard as each child found their respective parent or parents. All the while I tried to humor Sonic by looking for our supposed school aged children. I know that kids grow quickly, but this is ridiculous.

I could have sworn I had just given birth...

I'm startled by the sound of two children simultaneously calling out for Sonic and I, their faces obscured just like his behind a massive drawing – depicting the four of us having a picnic on a sunny day.

"You have them in on this too?" I grumbled at Sonic. "Not funny."

"Alright." Sonic said, finally turning around to face me as he hugged both kids. "Mom's not liking this little joke, so what's say we call it off on the count of three."

"Okay, daddy!" they both said behind their drawing.

"Cool. We'll do it on the count of three." he said. "I'll lead. One."

"Two." said one.

"Three." finished the other.

...

Another bright flash of light, and I can't hear or see them. The only thing I can see is the light, and murmuring from all around. I close my eyes as it becomes clearer and more pronounced, and I realize that people are talking and working over me. Poking things in, wiping down. Moving me.

It also hurts to move, but I'm able to with some effort. Feels like I got stuck in a never ending split while my legs were pulled in both directions.

"She's coming to!," is the first thing I can clearly make out before drifting back into unconsciousness.

...

I awoke again to a soft, bright light. It's quiet, and I jump with a start expecting to see someone or something waiting for me. I don't at first. The room is dimly lit, save for the sun's rays shining through the window near by. The sky is clear save for a few gray clouds, but otherwise beautiful.

My ears quickly pick up a soft cooing nearby, and my eyes scan around until they find the source. Sonic is seated at the foot of the bed, making the noises for the one he's cradling in his arms. He looks up from his cute little game when he realizes that I'm awake and stirring, with a smile on his face and the beginning of tears in his eyes. He wastes no time in dragging me into a tight embrace – the same type I used to give him whenever I thought he might have been lost forever in battle.

"You really had me scared there...," he said, trailing off. "The doctors kept on saying that if we had made it to the hospital even a few minutes later..."

"I know." I replied softly. "I felt myself slipping away too. And I tried to get back to you. But no matter how many times I tried, I felt like something was keeping me away, until you saved me."

"I saved you?" he asked a bit confused.

"Yeah. It was like a dream almost. I knew it was you, but you wouldn't let me see your face until the very end. And our kids, they weren't even babies anymore.."

"They're barely a day old." he chuckled, holding up our daughter for me to see.

Despite how tired and weak I felt, I somehow managed to pull myself into a sitting position with effort. Sonic helped me get comfortable on the pillow, before carefully passing our angel over to me. She yawned, briefly looking up at me before settling in for a nap. I wipe my eyes as tears start to come, my heart welling up with the same fullness I had felt only hours ago.

"I can't describe it," I said as I wept, "but...I feel..I.."

"Feel beautiful?" Sonic chimed in, finishing my thought.

"Yes." I agreed. "Despite how painful and scary it was, I'm beyond glad that this is the end result. That they're here. And that we're finally one big.."

Wait a minute.

I jumped with a start, nearly falling out of bed and causing our daughter to begin to fuss and cry. Sonic manages to catch us both, trying to hold me still despite the fact that I'm trying to get out of bed on my own. Once I'm reminded by my lower torso how much of a bad idea that is, I fall back onto the pillow in defeat.

"Where's our son?!" I finally ask, panicked.

"He's in the NICU," Sonic replied, frowning. "Just a minor respiratory infection. Otherwise perfectly fine."

"That's not perfectly fine!" I cried. "He should be right here with us and his sister. Day one of parenthood and we already have a sick baby. Day one and I'm already failing in my duties.."

"Take it easy," he whispered, hushing me. "That's not your fault. You're doing a great job so far. I'll even prove it."

With that, he wasted no time calling in a nurse, who soon arrived, left, and came back with our son in tow. I instantly reached out for him, despite his sister also being in my arms and felt better the moment he was placed beside her. Just like her, he was also sleepy, but was already in full slumber. I let out a giggle when the realization that he snores hit me, but it was stifled when I heard a faint wheezing as well.

"Just the congestion," Sonic reminded me, as he gently stroked our son's head. "See? He's okay. You're doing just fine."

"But...," I started to object.

"Just fine." he finished. "Way more than me I'd say. All I did was watch as you brought them out. That takes some guts."

I settle down, giving a kiss to all three special people in my life. Both children first as their first kiss from their mother, before a special one to the father, who forgets how much of a hand he had in bringing them into the world as well.

...

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

I decided to call everyone with the news a few hours later. Despite the tropical storm, they all showed up in record time and were eager to meet the latest additions to our family. Amy was also eager for the visit, and despite my earlier concern reassured me that she was feeling up to it.

Sara was the first to arrive, with Aria in tow, giving the both of us a congratulatory speech, before handing us a piece of note paper. She had jotted down the times and date that each baby had arrived, for which I was especially thankful as I had forgotten my own notes in the mist of the ambulatory hustle.

She also brightened Amy's day by saying that we were both welcome as patients at her new practice, reassuring us that her choice in dealing with Eggman would have been the same if she had to go through it again.

Tails arrived second, with Cream and Vanilla in tow. Both he and Cream were busy learning how to properly hold a baby in the new roles as uncle and auntie while Vanilla quietly congratulated us both.

Knuckles came next. He gifted us with a special herbal mixture after hearing that our son was congested. He also brought up a very important subject that had completely slipped the minds of Amy and I: names.

"So," he asked, nonchalantly. "What are you calling these little guys?"

"Yeah," Tails chimed in. "What are their names?"

"Well," I shrugged, chuckling as I scratched my head, "I was actually going to defer that job to Amy. One because she's the only one out of us with a normal name. And two, because, well, she deserves it since she was the one who actually went through childbirth and labor."

"Well, Amy," Vanilla asked. "What are their names?"

Amy blushed for a moment, before looking away nervously. "Call me weird, but I thought we were having girls." she said sheepishly. "So I only picked out girls names."

"Well," I gulped, hoping that she wasn't considering naming our son with a feminine name. "What's the verdict for our girl?"

"I was thinking something closer to our own names, so I was looking for names that started with the letters A and S. Out of all the girls names, I thought the sweetest sounding one was Aya. So I think our little girl should be called Aya. Aya Rose Hedgehog."

I smile, as saying it back in my own head and once out loud does sound lovely. "Little Aya it is, then."

"But what about your son?" Cream asked. "He needs a name too."

"Well, obviously." Knuckles chimed in. "This is what happens when you don't have names for both genders.."

"Shut up, Knucklehead." I snapped back. "And besides, I don't see you offering any suggestions."

Just then, our son woke up from his nap and started to fuss, carrying on into a full on wail within the arms of his uncle Tails. I quickly take over, rocking him in my own arms to get him to calm down.

"Nice going, Knux," I grumble. "Way to make the kid insecure about his nameless status."

"Oh please," Knuckles countered. "If anything, I say he's upset because he knows he's got his big mouth from his father. That shit runs in the genes, you know."

"Hmm...genes...," Amy trailed off.

"What about?" I asked.

"I like the sound of it," she said softly. "He could be a Eugene, but that sounds too stuffy and way too normal. But I think that Gene sounds like a more modern, interesting name.

"How about it, little guy?" I asked our son, patting him on the chest. "Would you like to be known as Gene? Gene the Hedgehog?"

I got my answer when our son burped, stopped crying, and settled back down into another nap.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What lovely names!", Cream cooed. "Aya and Gene. Gene and Aya. They're both so short but lovely. Well done you too!"

Things were going great at that point. Wonderful even. But then something always has to ruin the mood. Shadow arrived, and while he too congratulated us both on a job well done (and was even suggested as a godfather at Amy's behest), he arrived with some very upsetting news.

"I figured it was best that you hear it from me," he said, trailing off. "Rouge is at G.U.N. H.Q. Listening to the full report, but she texted me the main details."

"What's going on?" I asked, stepping out of the room. Amy's taking a nap alongside Aya and Gene and I did not wish to disturb them.

"G.U.N.'s finished their search on Eggman's compound." he said. "They usually don't declare something like this so early in, but..

Eggman's dead. They've declared him legally dead."

* * *

_And that's it for this chapter, folks! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed or noted about getting this update! Things have been pretty hectic, but as is always the case, we are still very much dedicated to finishing this story._

_ So with that much out, I'll let you guys in on a secret – only three chapters left. Well, technically two, with the epilogue counting as one as I'll probably make that lengthy as well._

_ Eggman's been declared dead, but dead doesn't always mean dead. Think about that for a moment._

_ Next chapter should be interesting. Sonic and Amy are navigating through their first months of parenthood, but a stupid mistake has them experiencing deja vu all over again. What could it be? Stay tuned to find out._

_ And as always, please read and review!_


	23. Here We Go Again

_**Author's Note:**__It's been a little while, so I'll just let you guys get to the brunt of it. _

* * *

_ (Sonic's P.O.V.)_

_ Tic. Tock. Tic. Tock._

_ Damn clock is driving me crazy. _ Got here about thirty minutes ago, but it feels like we've been here forever. No one's moved, and the queue has been the same.

Amy gave me a firm side nudge in a futile attempt to stop my fidgeting, but it's no use. My feet are rapidly tapping at the cold linoleum beneath us, while I idly have a hand tapping away on the arm of my chair. I stopped when she placed one of her hands on mine. Looking down, she had a firm grip, but I can feel it trembling with each second that passes.

"You're making me more nervous," she finally says.

She flashes me a smile, but I can already tell she's only putting it on to calm me down. The last three months have been tough on us both, but especially her. And well, this...this was the last thing we needed.

"Ms. Rose?", came a voice across the room.

I stood up first, extending a hand to Amy, who eagerly took it for support as she stood. We both started walking over to the voice, who was seated behind a desk towards the other end of the room. A somewhat elderly porcupine lady smiled back at the both of us, before motioning for Amy to follow another person dressed in white.

"We just need Ms. Rose at the moment," said the nurse.

I was about to protest when Amy gently squeezed at my hand. She bit her lip, before looking up at me, still trying to maintain her brave facade.

"...it'll be alright," she said, trailing off. "It's routine, after all."

Squeezing back, I made her promise to call me in the moment she felt she needed me, before letting go. I flashed a smile and thumbs up, watching as she disappeared beyond the waiting room doors. Returning to my seat, I looked around before finally letting go of my own facade, sighing heavily as I ran a hand through my quills.

_How did it come to this?_

...well, I know how. But so soon? So _quick_?

It's only been about three months since Aya and Gene were born, but so much has happened. So much that _this_ right now is probably not the best thing to be happening...

All because of Eggman. The fat fuck apparently bit the dust on that fateful day, according to G.U.N. DNA from what little they found, as well as a cross reference to partial dental work confirmed it. Dead.

Shadow had been courteous enough to let us know the details just as the media was catching wind of it, as G.U.N. had formerly declared him dead to the world on the same day our children were born. Or rather only Gene, as both he and Aya have different birthdays due to their late evening arrival.

I guess it's a small price to pay, what with me having a hand in his demise. Not sorry he died, especially after what he supposedly was planning to do to my family. And if Gene asks, I'll make it a point to give him the correct date of death, down to the hour, minute, and second.

_We should be moving on, forgetting him and his madness. Rebuilding. Learning from it. But we can't. At least, not just yet._

Despite Shadow and Rouge's intel, Tails was not as satisfied with what G.U.N. had put out concerning Eggman's death. Something about it being way too sanitized. So he did what he did best: He hacked their database for the real answers.

And what he found was nothing short of disturbing.

He found several gigabytes' worth of research that Eggman had worked on. Tails described it as the type of stuff that could even be considered his life's work if he had kept it in the realm of theories and postulates – like science prize winning caliber. It took him about two weeks to even half understand what Eggman had been working on, as it had been written in a unique code that had died with him.

That was the first indication that this was serious, as Tails is usually able to understand any new concept in seconds. And yet, he was having a difficult time with it, despite enjoying the challenge.

When he was about 95% certain in his findings, he called me, Shadow, and Knuckles over to discuss it, breaking it down in layman's terms. In short, he said that Eggman had spent years researching and developing a complex, refined weapons system. One that could theoretically not be shut down, or hindered inoperable despite the lack of manual command.

I remember Knuckles scoffing at the notion, chalking it up to the lack of sleep and stress that Tails' had suffered decoding those notes. But Tails was so steadfast. So certain. He'd never given any of us a reason to doubt his work.

It was a little frustrating trying to keep up with his explanation, until he finally gave it a name – _The Chaos Requiem_.

"I'm calling it the Chaos Requiem," he said slowly, "because his "death" is the catalyst. Everything he's ever created, or done. It all led up to this."

"Led up to what?" I remembered asking. "Come on Tails. I get that you're in awe of this dude's techno babble, but please get to the chase."

"He created an algorithm." he finally said. "One so complex, yet so abstract that it has me struggling just understand it. Like an artificial intelligence, almost. All I know so far is that it powers this machine...or machines.

Every battle we ever fought with him was simply a test. A correction to his near perfection of this algorithm. Every machine. Every robot. Every single base he's built. They're all pieces of this puzzle..."

Simply put – every single battle I ever fought against him, he wasn't entirely losing. He was plotting. Planting pieces of this thing in the hopes that it would one day operate on its own. With or without my interference.

Knuckles brushed him off, saying that to be scared now was pointless; we had fought just as hard and beaten him each and every time. Not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he had a point. Shadow surprisingly, warily backed him up, and I soon found myself following suit to the surprise of both myself and Tails. Felt bad too, like I was taking everything he had explained and threw it out a window fifty stories up.

I'd had enough paranoia and wariness within the last year to last the rest of my life. I didn't need the notion of a never ending machine consuming me to the point that it ruled me. And with a newly formed family, I was more concerned with spending time with them.

I was going to let it go, until what happened about six weeks ago...  
Tails had called, frantically rambling on about a rogue Egg Pawn army running amok in Spagonia. Designed slightly different than previously remembered, but with enough firepower that part of the capital city had to be evacuated. It was so sudden that I hadn't even said goodbye to Amy, let alone told her where I was going. Couldn't call her either as I had left my cell phone at home as well.

But I figured she knew where I was. It was breaking news all over the world, reporting that Eggman was alive and engaging in another plot for world domination.

Same old shit, right? Nothing I hadn't seen or stopped before. A good dash, leg sweep, and a couple of Spin Dashes and those bucket of bolts would be waste receptacles in no time.

At least, that was what I thought until I finally went up against them. Was not easy by any means; it was as if they knew my moves by heart, as they actively anticipated/prepared attacks to counter me in every way. I can normally clear hundreds of these pawns in a second, but this was different. And it scared me.

I was able to eventually dismantle each and every single one of those trash cans, but not without a lot of effort on my part. Was pretty damn spent by the end of it, and was probably the first time in years that I could remember fighting so hard.

Needless to say, Tails' earlier warning had my attention now, as I limped my way back home to Station Square. To my family. To Amy. She was pretty angry with me as Tails had briefed her under threat of her hammer.

I probably would have gotten a taste of it as well if I hadn't collapsed from my injuries.

...

But she was too worried about me to stay angry. Awoke several hours later to her watching over me, dressing the wounds I had sustained. She was so worried that she had even asked Vanilla and Cream to babysit, as I had come down with a slight fever.  
"I'm still pissed at you," she said while dabbing a gash on my head with iodine. "But running out to fight off danger is what you do. Plus I'm sure a lot more folks would have been seriously injured if you hadn't intervened.

But that's not why I'm pissed. I'm pissed because, according to Tails, you guys had known that Eggman may have been up to something much earlier. You knew something might be up but you didn't bother to tell me anything at all. Not once."

Telling her that I thought it wasn't worth worrying her as I hadn't thought it serious only irritated her more, with her bringing up our shared issue of communication.  
"It doesn't matter!" she yelled as she pressed a little too hard with that iodine. "I still would have wanted to know. Especially after what that lunatic was trying to do to me and our kids. It's not like I can just forget because it was the first thing I thought of when I saw all this on the news..."

She pretty much admitted right then and there that she was still scared of him...that whatever he was trying to do to her and our kids wasn't finished. Seeing me struggle dealing with the threat hadn't made it easier, as she assumed that our family would be next.

She also admitted that the news of his death had lulled her into a somewhat false sense of security; that despite how critical she had been of my role in his "death", she had actually been somewhat relieved deep down.

"I probably should have seen this coming," she said, finishing the bandaging of my head gash. "Eggman always finds a way. But after what happened, I just wanted to think that was the end. Maybe I was hoping we'd get a little bit of what regular folks call 'normal' for a change."

Can't blame her for how she feels; I've been right there with her navigating this new world of parenthood. Normal is a word I don't know the meaning of, but I was hoping our kids might see it in spades. Not having to worry about a megalomaniac busting through your front door or at your school now seems like a far off luxury.

But it's also one that I still hope to give them, and one that I promised Amy I would. Promised that as long as blood was still pumping through me, that I would always come through for her and the kids.

And that's when it happened. The blood was sure flowing that evening, in more ways than one – _we made love_. It was almost like old times, but different. Spontaneous, yet meaningful; all the emotion that we had for each other coming together in a maelstrom of passion that we had both held onto for so long...

It'd certainly been awhile; I hadn't tried to be overtly intimate after witnessing and aiding in the delivery of our kids. That definitely looked like it hurt a lot. Plus the care and observation of two separate, but demanding little hedgehogs had taken quite the toll on my would be libido. Diaper changes, late night feedings with pumped milk, and on and off hours of sleeping/crying will tire you out quick.

After seeing all that she's done and gone through...it somehow made me want her more.

...And after all that we'd been through these last few months, it seems we hadn't learned a damn thing about using protection.

Ames might be pregnant. Again.

...

Looked up to check the time in the waiting room. It's been about maybe twenty minutes since Amy went with that nurse.

_(Amy's P.O.V.)_

"Just one more question before I bring Sonic in," Sara said after completing my pelvic exam. "When was the first day of your last period?"

"I think the 12th of last month," I replied, certain. "I even marked it on a calendar, and it's nearly the end of this month."

"That sounds about on par after a delivery," she said, scribbling down a few notes on my chart. "But then again, your chances of getting pregnant again are significantly higher after a successful pregnancy. Being that late would put you at the cusp, at about the one month mark."

I gulped, as this was the second visit I'd made within the week. The first had been to get blood work done after I told Sonic. Figured I'd be up front and to the point this time, given how badly things had been the first time around.

He had been feeding Aya, trying to soothe a crying fit she had started by getting her to burp. He damn near dropped her when I told him, before recovering in time to catch her.

Maybe I should have told him when both kids were sleeping.

Or maybe not. His reaction wasn't that far off from what mine was when I realized that I could be pregnant again. I cried. I love my kids, and I know he loves them just as much as I do too. But again?

I'm not going to lie – on a scale of one to ten, labor pain cranks it up to twelve and snaps the dial off. My hips, thighs, and crotch area felt like a small circus had paraded on through for at least a week afterward. My boobs have become a mini-dairy farm. And I'm flat out exhausted from the odd times of day our kids take to sleeping/eating.

Yet I might have to go through all this again in another nine months' time?

Granted all of this has made me feel a bit unattractive. I've lost most of the baby weight, but I don't fit into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe as well. Wider hips, bigger bust, and a curvier figure than I previously had.

So much for thinking that it'd all "snap" back into place once they were out.

That was probably more compounded with the way Sonic had been acting around me since we brought them home. Skittish, shy, and awkward the moment the slightest form of physical contact was involved. It was almost as if time had been reversed and chasing after him again for the time of day.

It didn't really bother me at first since I was more concerned with getting to know and understand our kids. But the moment we'd have a moment to ourselves, or a moment when I had to nurse – he'd be gone.

After it happened one time too many, I started to wonder what was going on. Was it something I said? Did I smell like spit up and ripe diapers? Or did he just want to take advantage of the little downtime we had for some alone time of his own?

It didn't click into place until I noticed him linger, if only for a split second, while I was nursing. The lazy, yet intent glaze of his eyes and playful smirk was all I needed to see to put things together – he was horny. Confronting him about it proved it true when he basically admitted that he felt weird having those urges and feelings for me so soon after the birth.

Granted that was somewhat exasperated by the doctor's order to wait at least six weeks before getting that close as well as my own anxiety about it..

That all came to an end shortly after that attack in Spagonia. Sonic had rushed over because every bit of it wreaked of Eggman, and was pretty taxed by the end of it. He barely put his foot in the door before he collapsed in my arms.

I don't know how he managed it since I was pretty pissed at him not telling me what Tails had found out weeks earlier, but he did it. Could never stay mad at him for too long, after all...

Any worry I had about being unattractive – gone. Highly exaggerated insecurity on my part as he seemed to take in and relish every single inch of my body. I don't even think I can describe it other than it was like was like our first time all over again, but with experience added into the mix. Passionate, yet gentle, with all the emotions of intimacy that I felt for him rushing back into my body like a freight train on steroids.

It was absolutely wonderful, but like the saying goes, you can't go back to holding hands...

...

"Ames?"

"Hmm?"

"Earth to Amy. Requesting permission to land."

I blink a few times before I realize that Sonic is seated next to me in the office. The nurse must have called him in while I was in thought.

Sara is seated in front of us at her desk, my file in hand.

"Do you want a moment before I give you the results?" she asked, concerned.

"No thanks," I say. I try to smile, slowly reaching out for Sonic when he instinctively grabs my hand. I smile a little more when I see him trying to smile for me as well.

Sara looks between the two of us, letting out an exasperated sigh before flipping through my file. "I'd tell you two to get a room, but it'd just lead you back to me," she quipped. "So I'm going to break it down into good news, and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

I gulped, as did Sonic, as we unanimously opted to hear the bad news first.

"The bad news," Sara started, taking off her glasses to clean, "is that the both of you are going to have to decide right here and now on a proper, effective method of future contraception that works for the BOTH of you..."

_Oh Chaos_. I think the room is starting to spin. I reach out for Sonic who's equally looking worse for wear than I am...

"...because the good news is that you're not pregnant."

_The room stopped spinning, the sun came out, and I could have sworn I heard some Chao singing an angelic hymn. _

Until I heard a thud. Sonic had leaned a little bit too far in his chair after hearing the good news.

A few minutes and an ice pack later, we got into the awkward conversation of proper contraception with Sara.

"Sorry for the fright," Sara stated. "But in my line of work, you develop a somewhat dry sense of humor..."

"No kidding." Sonic grumbled, massaging the ice pack on his forehead.

"I also couldn't resist given your history so far," she added. "Your first pregnancy was unplanned, and seeing that your twins are barely pushing three months of age, it almost didn't surprise me; women are at their most fertile directly after birth.

Given all the time I've had the pleasure of knowing the both of you, I can easily say that this scare was the result of a few...spur of the moments?"

The flushed, red expression on our faces was enough of an answer for her.

"Yeah, I thought so." she said. "Would it be too forward of me to say that condoms wouldn't factor into your..er, moments?"

"Yes," Sonic answered, still blushing.

"Alright then." Sara stated, giving me some paperwork to look over. "Based on that and the fact that you're currently nursing, I believe you're best suited for an IUD - intrauterine device."

"What's that?" I asked.

Sara took the paperwork from me for a brief moment, flipping through it before handing it back. A diagram of a T-shaped object was prominently displayed on top, while she produced a small capsule from within her desk.

"This," she said, showing me the near tiny object, "is an IUD. It's placed in your uterus and works by affecting the way sperm move so they can't fertilize an egg.

The effectiveness rate is 1 out of 100 women get pregnant while an IUD is in place, with this method lasting on average between five to twelve years depending on which type you have implanted. That's better than a single use condom, which may tear or the reduced effectiveness rate of missing a scheduled birth control pill."

"Sounds good," I say after a moment. "How soon can we get this in m-,...I mean, how soon can I have this set up?"

"Tomorrow if you like," Sara said, scribbling down the appointment time on a card before handing it to me. "I would say hands off each other until then, but the IUD can prevent pregnancy as long as its implanted within five days of unprotected sex.

Plus there's a chance that you'll feel a little sore for a bit afterward, so you might as well make the most of the moment."

...

_(Sonic's P.O.V.)_

"Did she just tell us to go at it after all of this?" I asked Amy. "Like, doctor's orders?"She shot me a dirty look before shrugging, settling in to cling on one of my arms.

"I'm pretty sure she was being sarcastic, you know..." she snipped.

As we walked through the reception area to leave, we came across a bit of a scene. One of the other guys who had been out there waiting with me had apparently gotten some info that he was none too pleased about from his girl.

"Aww c'mon baby!" he practically cried at the top of his lungs. "Please tell me you didn't get the golden ticket again! Three's enough!"

"Shut up, Wonka!" she yelled back at him. "You're making a scene. And you know exactly how it got there when you were so keen on role playing..."

It took all I had to keep a straight face passing by before I started cracking up outside the office. Amy was not as amused.

"Not funny, Sonic." she nagged. "Especially since that easily could have been us."

"The Charles and the Chocolate Factory kink?"

"You know exactly what I mean..."

And she's pissed. Time to dial it back a notch.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have laughed, but I'm just trying to lighten up the mood. We dodged one, or possibly two bullets if experience indicates anything right now. Can you blame me for being even a little bit elated about it?"

"No." she sighed. "I'm just as relieved and happy about the oven being empty as you are. But I'm also kind of sad as well..."

"What for?" I practically yelled out. "We have two, count them – TWO brand spanking new babies. Why would we want another one or two so soon?"

"It's not that," she countered back. "You heard what Sara said in there about the IUD I'm having implanted tomorrow. Effective for up to five to twelve years depending on which one.

That's a pretty long time, and a lot of things could happen between now and then..."

"Like what?" I ask, raising a brow.

"Well...us breaking up." she said softly. "Or you not making it back alive after one of your adventures. Especially after the fact that Eggman might still be alive somewhere."

I stop dead in my tracks, before turning around and hugging her as tight as I can.

"Hold the press." I say, as I held her tight. "I know you're still shaken up by the Spagonia attack, but I thought I made it clear that I was here to stay. Heck, I'm right here in the flesh and quills holding onto you this very moment. We have a lot to celebrate right now too. Our second Christmas together. Our first with Aya and Gene as a family..."

She hugged back tightly, gently sobbing into my chest before looking up at me.

"I'm just scared, Sonic." she said finally. "It's not just me you have to worry about. It's Aya and Gene as well. Whatever happens between you and me affects them just as much too. Which is why I was so jittery about the possibility of another baby. Three children under the age of one in less than two years is enough."

"Not to mention chaotic." I chimed in, receiving a soft tap on my shoulders. "I get it. We've gone from friends to lovers to parenthood in the span of a year. Emotionally, I'll admit that's a lot of change for one to take in. Fast, if you want to call it that. But with each step we've taken, I'd like to think we've risen to the occasion, don't you think?

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this: I might not be able to guarantee my safety. Or that we'll be together for all of eternity. But what I feel for you, Aya, and Gene is 100% genuine. Right here and now.

And it's that feeling that I hope to use to make sure things stay the way they are for a very,very long time to come."

"Could that mean we might be walking down the aisle one day?" she asked suddenly.

"No comment." I start to say, but add, "Well, anything's possible, right? This wasn't the game plan for me two years ago."

"And just when I thought I had a real answer after our appearance on Good Morning Station Square," she chuckled, snapping her fingers. "Here's an easier one. If I decided to take the IUD out earlier than expected, would you be open to more kids?"

"I get it, Ames," I say finally. "You want another kid. Not right now. Maybe not five or twelve years down the line. But sometime before then or in between."

"But do you?" she pressed on.

"Well..," I trailed off, "Maybe. I get that you want to kinda plan the next one, but isn't taking that IUD out like it was unplanned anyway? Back at square one?

But yeah. Maybe. And besides, we did some pretty good work the first time around. Aya and Gene are pretty mint issue if I do say so myself."

"That sounds like more of a yes than a maybe," she pointed out.

"Well, either way, you wouldn't see me complaining during the making of process. You do have some pretty lovely..._tools_."

"And this," she said, giving me a light kiss, "Is why it may very well happen sooner rather than later without that IUD. You're always talking your way into my pants."

"You're always letting me talk my way into your pants." I say, kissing back.

"Maybe..." she trailed off, running a finger down my chest. "I mean, yes."

I slowly deepened the kiss, tilting her chin up as I held her tight, slowly inching a hand down to her back until...

"GET A ROOM!" someone shouted behind us. We both break off, gasping when we realize that we were still in front of Dr. Torinai's office. Shit.

We stood still for a moment, before looking back at each other, and realizing just how lucky we've been today. Looking at the time shows that we could have been at Vanilla's place to pick up the kids by now.

But old habits die hard.

"That IUD is definitely going in tomorrow, right?" I ask.

"Yeah." Amy said.

"And Vanilla has the general idea that we're running errands/shopping for Christmas, right?"

"Yes."

"Well then, if it's alright with you, I'd really like to take you up on that yes/maybe for some good old spur of the moment before we get to shopping..."

"Oh no!" she giggled, playfully trying to get away as I took her up in my arms bridal style.

"Oh yes..." I purred.

As I sped home with my partner in crime in tow, there was no where else I would rather be. Or anyone else I would rather be with for that matter.

And if I feel like this now, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if our arrangement was more permanent.

* * *

_And that's it for this chapter, folks! The next chapter is the very last chapter. Before the epilogue at least. And as I have before, that may be pretty meaty given how I write. This chapter clocked in at about 20 pages. _

_Next chapter features, yes – Sonic working up the nerve to finally ask Amy a very important question. You definitely saw a bit of the fact that Amy was pondering the issue in this chapter, but you'll get to see Sonic's thought process on the subject this time around._

_ Why is he asking? Will he choke or go through with it? And will Amy respond positively depending on how he asks?_

_ All this and more in the next chapter. As always, please read and review! _


End file.
